Volunteers Want Water-Logged Green Space to Become 'Field of Dreams'

Residents are hoping to transform what's now a dilapidated Lincoln Park green space plagued with drainage issues into a beautiful, bustling "field of dreams". 

But they can't do it without help—a lot of it. About 15 to 20 people are behind the all-volunteer effort to raise money to recreate Alcott Field, which is adjacent to Alcott Elementary School, 2625 N. Orchard St.

At about 1.2 acres, the area is bordered by West Drummond Place and North Orchard Street.

The first phase of its renovation—alleviating draining issues on the site and tending to six crabapple trees that volunteers hope will remain rooted for years to come—is about to be under way.

Those initial improvements will allow for an outdoor amphitheater, says Alicia Haruska, a volunteer spokeswoman for the project.

"There's a lot of water that pools there and there used to be waste water that backed up," she said. "The money has already been raised for that. Now we're trying to get the word out that the Alcott Field of Dreams project is a community project, not just one for Alcott Schools."

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The green space is open to the public, she says, and should act as a meeting place for those in the area looking to spend time with family or play a pickup football game.

The second phase of the three-phase venture is the tallest hurdle volunteers will need to clear to restore the park, Haruska said. With a price tag of $1.2 million, it includes a turf soccer and baseball field, running track and sport court.

And the timeline for the fundraising is ambitious. Haruska says volunteers hope to secure the phase two money by the end of 2014, at the latest.

Phase three, which doesn't have a price tag quite yet, includes building an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant children's playground for use by the 500-plus Alcott students as well as all kids in the surrounding area.

Local Ald. Michele Smith (43rd) has pledged $300,000 to kickstart the fundraising effort and Alcott parents—including Haruska, whose son is in the school's prekindergarten program—are hoping to raise an additional $150,000 through series of local fundraisers. A total of $$73,709 toward that goal had been raised as of last Thursday.

"This is an enhancement for our entire community," Smith said in a newsletter. " … I hope everyone will contribute something."

Rebuilding a space like that of Alcott Field certainly takes a village, Haruska said. She moved to Chicago from Boston more than one year ago and decided to get involved in the project to "be more a part of the community I belong to."

"This is about improving the neighborhood's quality of life, enhancing its competitive position and making it a community of choice," she said.

Meet those who are part of the Alcott community on Sept. 7 at the Alcott Community Block Party 2013.

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