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Village reviews Cambridge Lakes skate‑park concept ahead of OSLAD grant application; estimated cost $1.3–1.6 million
Summary
Fairgram presented a concept for improvements at the Cambridge Lakes park including a shelter, seasonal ice rink, pickleball courts and a loop trail; the village plans to apply for an OSLAD grant with a 50% local match and will return to the board on Sept. 2 with a final concept.
The Village of Pingree Grove board heard a concept and public workshop on improvements to the Cambridge Lakes skate park site Aug. 18, as staff prepares an OSLAD grant application to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Mark Decker, landscape architect and project manager with Fairgram, described a concept that would add a 24-by-44-foot picnic shelter (roughly 75-person capacity with a built-in grill), a seasonal ice rink (approx. 80-by-44 feet with removable boards and cooling coils), three pickleball courts, a full basketball court, a Gaga ball court, an interactive ball‑wall game, an accessible zip‑track feature, pollinator plantings and an extended loop trail to create about a quarter‑mile loop. The plan also proposes expanding a small parking area from eight to 13 spaces. Decker said the grant “provides up to $600,000 in matching funding assistance” for development projects; Fairgram estimated the concept’s total cost at $1.3–$1.6 million, leaving a village match of approximately $700,000–$1.0 million depending on final scope. Village staff told the board that OSLAD applications are evaluated competitively statewide and that awards are made until available funds are exhausted; Decker added plainly, "They either fund it or they don't." The firm and staff emphasized that the grant is a 50% match and that the application must describe a single park and a complete scope of work: partial funding or piecemeal construction is not assured. Board members and residents raised several operational questions: parking capacity for events and concurrent uses, restroom availability and access for people with skates, ongoing maintenance costs for electronic amenities and the seasonal rink, noise from pickleball courts and lighting/timetable limits for evening use. Residents suggested more grills, porta‑potty rental options for events and locating the rink nearer the existing skate‑park restroom to reduce walking distances for families and older residents. Staff noted funding options under consideration, including capital-improvement funds and two special-service-area funds that intersect the park, and said the village will return to the board with a final concept at the Sept. 2 meeting and open an additional two‑week public comment period. If the board approves a final concept, staff will submit the OSLAD application in accordance with IDNR deadlines.
