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Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve outlines Roma Park trail, parking upgrades funded by ARPA
Summary
Mike Quigley presented the Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District’s Roma Park work — parking expansion, paved trail, accessible fishing pier — noting ARPA funding and describing the district’s holdings and operations.
Mike Quigley, speaking to the Kankakee County Board on May 13, described recent and planned improvements at Highland Lakes and Roma Park funded in part with ARPA money.
Quigley summarized the Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District’s inventory and operations — roughly 461 acres under management, an annual operating budget the district described as about $120,000, and five appointed commissioners and a small full-time staff. He said the district’s properties include Highland Lakes Preserve, Shannon Bioenvironmental Center, Aroma Land and Water Preserve and several small donated parcels in the county.
Quigley said the district acquired the Highland Lakes property — described in his remarks as a former sandpit with two lakes and about 64 acres — and has added a widened parking lot, roughly half a mile of paved walking trail with exercise stations and a permanent, handicap-accessible fishing pier. He said the pier will be one of the locations for a county fishing program.
Quigley acknowledged county staff Colton and Tinker Parker for assistance securing a grant and thanked maintenance staff for upkeep of preserve properties. He said the district purchased Highland Lakes at a time the market made the acquisition feasible and noted the preserve’s programs for prairie restoration, controlled burns and habitat management.
Quigley also urged the board to consider future options for expanding the preserve’s funding base, saying the district is currently supported by two taxing districts and that a countywide levy or referendum could unlock more resources, though he noted a prior quarter-cent levy did not pass while he served on the board.
