Maxwell Park in west Normal will get a renovated disc golf course and a bigger dog park thanks to a $400,000 state grant.
Maxwell Park will also receive renovations on its softball and baseball fields, which host tournaments for Illinois High School Association and Illinois Elementary School Association games. A new running track, a bocce ball court, and a nature trail will also be added. The parking lot will be expanded to accommodate more community members.
“It's going to be a great project,” said Doug Damery, director of Town of Normal Parks and Recreation. "If we wouldn’t have gotten this grant, we wouldn’t have been able to do all this stuff that were doing.”
Damery said the new improvements will have a significant impact on the community.
“A lot of the park is family oriented," said Damery. “The dog park can be family focused. The softball fields are family focused when we have high school games. It's really focused on making it more attractive and more of a destination for everyone. It’s going to have a lot of components to it no matter what your interest is.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced last week that $28.9 million in grants for 89 local projects will help improve recreational facilities throughout the state, including the $400,000 for Maxwell Park.
The Maxwell Park project is expected to begin at the end of the summer and extend through 2021. Normal will match the $400,000 grant to complete the two-year project.
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