Evanston Wins $600,000 State Grant For James Park Improvements

EVANSTON, IL — The City of Evanston has been awarded a $600,000 grant to fund planned upgrades at James Park, city officials announced this week.

Awarded through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, program by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IDNR, the grant will finance the reconstruction of James Park's playground, as well as other improvements to the city's most popular park.

The funding will also be used to upgrade adjacent pavements and improve sections of the park's multi-use trail system. The project includes safety enhancements, ADA accessibility upgrades and pathway improvements intended to make the park safer and more accessible for all visitors.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude for being awarded this grant,” said Lara Biggs, chief of Evanston’s Capital Planning Bureau.

“We are looking forward to the completion of the project, which will provide community members with the opportunity to enjoy the new park and the essential updates it will bring,” Biggs said in a statement.

Gov. JB Pritzker and IDNR officials on Monday announced funding to 100 local park projects, including James Park, with $17.3 million set aside for economically distressed jurisdictions.

“Since I became Governor, it’s been my mission to build stronger, healthier communities across Illinois,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Through the OSLAD program, we’re bringing that vision to life by awarding over $55.2 million to local park projects, expanding green spaces and creating new recreational opportunities for all.”

The OSLAD program is a long-standing state initiative aimed at supporting local governments in acquiring land and developing public parks and outdoor recreational spaces.

Established by the state legislature in 1986, the program provides cost-sharing grants to communities, covering up to 50 percent of project costs — or up to 100 percent in economically distressed communities.

“This round of OSLAD grants represents long-awaited projects from the smallest villages of rural Illinois to Chicago and the suburbs,” said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie. “There is an impressive amount of work, creativity, and ambition that goes into planning new outdoor recreational facilities, and I’m delighted the Illinois Department of Natural Resources can play a small part in helping communities thrive.”

Funded through a portion of the state’s Real Estate Transfer Tax, the OSLAD program is one of the state's most popular grant programs, according to the governor's office. It has awarded $640 million for park projects since its inception. Last year, the program awarded nearly $60 million.