Besides work at Community Park, O’Fallon is making other green space improvements
Besides the ongoing work on the nearly $20 million Community Park upgrades, the O’Fallon Parks and Recreation Department is moving forward with improvements to the Family Sports Park and Hesse Park, among others.
Necessary groundwork is now happening for expanded parking near two baseball fields in the northeast area of the O’Fallon Family Sports Park. The work is expected to be completed by next spring.
Parks Director Andrew Dallner said the city had wanted more parking for several years, and the Build O’Fallon Trust Fund budget is now available to accommodate that request, which includes soccer field lighting.
While the project is still in the design phase, he is projecting that 80 spaces will be added.
Dallner said the park does not have a parking lot in proximity for spectators.
“Access to the park for the grass soccer fields and baseball fields 9 and 10 is extremely difficult. There is no parking for those fields without a significant walk, which is not feasible for patrons who have mobility issues. This parking lot will solve that situation and improve the experience for our customers,” he said.
The O’Fallon City Council approved professional services and the installation of field lighting on soccer fields 9 and 10 at its June 17 meeting, allocating $64,200 to Millennia Professional Services for engineering fees and scope proposal,
In addition, this agreement will provide planning services for the installation of field lighting on soccer fields 9 and 10. The department received a tourism grant, with a 50% match, for that work.
“We still have more soccer fields we could light, however that would be several years down the road,” he said.
Community Park Improvements
The O’Fallon Community Park, located at 401 E. Fifth St., along U.S. 50, began its metamorphosis last summer with ambitious improvement plans. This is the last season for the Memorial Pool. An All-Abilities Playground was installed last fall, and a complete overhaul of the Katy Cavins Community Center is planned.
The Parks Master Plan included replacing the swimming pool, adding space for community gatherings, and more hiking and biking trails. Dallner said the all-abilities playground and pool improvements were the two top priority rankings in the Build O’Fallon Trust Fund surveys.
He recently updated the projects’ status to the council’s park committee and the Community Park Trail is nearly complete, with site clean-up, striping and signage left to accomplish.
The paved trail is .8 miles and winds around the park. It’s a 10-feet wide multi-use path.
Site work on the Cavins Community Center replacement started the week of June 17, and fencing already has gone up.
“We are excited to finally be able to get going on the project we have spent so long talking and planning,” Dallner said.
The foundations are going in now for building A of the new pool complex, which includes an office, party room, and concessions.
“They are starting to do some of the plumbing and electrical work. We ask for the communities’ patience as we work on the construction over the next year,” he said.
Plans are on track for a Memorial Day 2025 grand opening.
Seventy-five trees have been purchased and 30 trees were planted in Community Park, with the rest distributed throughout the parks. More trees will be planted in Community Park once the construction project is completed, Dallner said.
Groundbreaking on the $19.9 million enhancement project happened on April 30. It includes a six-lane competition pool, leisure pool, two pool slides, ninja crossing, performing arts stage, 900 square-foot rentable room and new office space for the department.
The city pool is being totally rebuilt and enlarged. It had been a fixture in the park since 1959, when the town’s population was about 4,000; today it is over 30,000.
Pickleball Courts at Hesse Park
A pre-construction meeting with the contractor will be scheduled soon about adding an additional four pickleball courts just north of the fourth that are there now. Dallner said construction will begin in the next three to four weeks, with completion planned for early fall.
Blog
The park department is currently writing a blog on the enhancement projects. It can be accessed here: https://ofallonparksandrec.com/community-park-enhancement-project/.
