Palos Park council approves grant agreement and funding plan for outdoor fitness court
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Summary
Council passed resolution 2025-R-06 to adopt and allocate funds for an outdoor fitness court; the project will be funded by a $50,000 National Fitness Campaign/Blue Cross Blue Shield grant, a $50,000 grant from Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, and up to $50,000 budgeted in FY2026 for completion.
The Palos Park Village Council on May 12 approved a resolution and a grant agreement to fund an outdoor fitness court on the village green, combining two $50,000 grants and village budgeted funds to complete the project.
The council passed Resolution 2025-R-06 to adopt and allocate funds for the outdoor fitness court. The installation is funded initially by a $50,000 award through the National Fitness Campaign/Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois program and a second $50,000 grant from Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital. The village has budgeted up to $50,000 in the Recreation and Parks capital fund in the fiscal year 2026 budget to complete the project if additional funds are needed. "As of right now, we've got that hundred thousand dollars, so we can start moving forward," the mayor said.
Why it matters: the project adds a publicly accessible fitness resource intended to support recreational programming and local health initiatives and is scheduled to be installed later in 2025, pending procurement and site work.
Council discussion and commitments: council and staff said the village submitted an application through the National Fitness Campaign and was awarded the Blue Cross Blue Shield grant; staff then sought additional funding and secured the Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital grant. The village is seeking further monetary donations and in-kind contributions (for example, concrete for the foundation and finishing work) to reduce local expenditures.
The council voted to approve entering a grant agreement between Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital and the Village of Palos Park. The mayor thanked the hospital and staff for the donation; council members expressing recorded assent during roll call included Commissioner Patan, Commissioner Paul and Mary Roberts Walters.
Implementation notes: the Recreation Department intends to incorporate the outdoor fitness court into programming and offer instructional sessions; Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital will assist with promotional and programming support as part of the grant arrangement. The council indicated plans to begin procurement and installation later in 2025, with the village seeking additional funding to defray construction costs.
No formal construction contract or installation timetable beyond "later this year" was specified in the council discussion.