The Niles Park District unveiled renovations to Pioneer Park at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. The baseball fields, playground, shelter and walking path were improved and new attractions were added.
The projects cost the park district $1.8 million, supported by a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) program. New attractions include a fitness center, a set-up for bags and an almost entirely new playground. The water fountains were also improved to include bottle fillers and dog bowls. The old playground was donated to a park in the Dominican Republic through the nonprofit Kids Around the World Program.
The park district’s Executive Director, Tom Elenz, said the additions to the extended playground included slides, climbers, swings and an extended shade structure. The only thing that remains in the area is a seesaw, which Elenz said was the most popular attraction. The sandbox was removed because the district had some issues with it not being clean, Elenz said.
The baseball field dugouts were changed from in-ground dugouts to surface-level dugouts. The fields received new grass, and new backstops were added that are closer to home plate, which Elenz said should speed up plays because the older oval-shaped dugouts were bigger. The fields will also get new LED scoreboards.
Elenz said that because Pioneer Park has the only baseball fields in Niles, increasing programming is challenging because the fields are already booked by youth leagues and adult leagues between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. “Our hope with the new layouts is that we get more popular and more people sign to up. Hopefully we can get more teams going,” he said.
Elenz said the park district did not borrow money for the park’s upgrades, instead tapping into the district’s reserve funds. No sponsors contributed to the renovations, Elenz said.
Construction at Golf Mill Park, which is half owned by the Village of Niles, is set to begin next week and have soccer fields, tennis courts, pickleball courts, basketball courts and a bigger playground, Elenz said. The OSLAD program will fund $1.2 million for it and the district will fund the remaining $2.3 million for it. “If everything goes right, by spring of 2025” is when work will be completed at Golf Mill Park, Elenz said.
Pioneer Park receives upgrades, new playground equipment and improved baseball fields
