The Village of Minooka plans to take a closer look at how to expand Veterans Park while being good stewards with taxpayer money, after reviewing input provided by residents at a recent open house on this topic.
At the committee of the whole meeting last week, Village Administrator Dan Duffy provided an update to the village board, saying the village needs to do its due diligence with expanding Veterans Park, located at 102 E. Mondamin St.
“There’s a whole host of ideas,” Duffy said. “We appreciate folks coming out giving us an idea of what they want to see. The committee did decide to pump the brakes on that project. We felt it was moving too quick. [The village could] get a little more input of what some of these amenities might actually cost because we’re very cost [and] very budget conscious here. The property, itself, did cost us quite a bit to acquire. So, we want to make sure that whatever we put in there, we can afford, for one and two, the public will enjoy.”
Veterans Park currently features memorials, flags, pathways and is occupying roughly one acre of land. The village is eying an expansion of the park using the nearby site of an excavating company, which vacated the property May 1.
Duffy says the village appreciates everyone who took time to give input on the park’s expansion.
“We had a range of requests, from adult athletic equipment to pickle ball courts to youth playground equipment, as well, all the way up to keeping it a traditional historic park that keeps in line with the veterans theme,” Duffy said.
The village board has emphasized that it would like to have a bit of a recreational focus in the expanded park area.
Dates have yet to be scheduled for future meetings on the park’s expansion.