Village approves $125,000 donation to Miracle League; village to remove and salvage existing playground equipment

The Village Board approved an agreement on July 21 to donate $125,000 to the Miracle League for construction of an accessible play park. Village attorney Rick told trustees the donation is “a $125,000 donation to Miracle League for purposes of this park. It’s a non‑refundable donation, but it can only be used for this specific purpose,” and that Miracle League would be responsible for design, contracting and fundraising for the remainder of the project.Trustees and staff discussed the donor funding picture: Miracle League had requested $150,000 but the drafted agreement specified $125,000 as the village contribution. Staff confirmed the village has donor (Amazon) funds available and that accounting of which fund will cover the donation can be determined administratively.Village staff also said the village would be responsible for removing the existing playground equipment on site and salvaging materials for reuse. Public Works Director Sean estimated a budget of about $35,000 to remove and harvest reusable components but said the full amount might be less; trustees agreed to approve the $125,000 donation and have staff manage removal and reuse. Miracle League must obtain verification of financing before beginning construction, and the village will inspect and accept the project only after final corrections are made.As part of the agreement the Miracle League must follow public bidding rules for contracts that use the village contribution and include donor and plaque recognition in the final design. Trustees discussed the option of increasing the village contribution later if Miracle League’s capital campaign is successful; for now the board approved $125,000 with the village taking responsibility for equipment removal and salvage.