Trustee Gazzas described a plan to apply for an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to redevelop Sacagawea Park. On July 10 trustees approved a resolution authorizing an agreement with Planning Resources Inc. to support the grant application and related public engagement; trustees authorized the work at a base cost of $12,600 and gave staff authority to increase the consultant budget up to $20,000 if additional scope (for example, including nearby park assets or the heritage site) proves useful.

Gazzas said the OSLAD application process places substantial weight on documented public input and design work. “It is very important from IDNR's perspective to get that public input,” she said, describing the consultant’s role in holding public meetings, drafting design options and completing application documentation. The application window opened in the week before the meeting and OSLAD applications are due in mid-September; trustees asked whether the consultant could meet the timetable and were told Sacagawea-focused deliverables for a September application are feasible.

Trustees discussed ambitions for a broader parks strategy — connectivity between parks, the heritage site and other village assets — and the possibility of phased work across multiple grant cycles. Staff and the consultant indicated applications could range from equipment replacements to larger redevelopment projects and that the grant could support projects in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on design and scope.

The board approved the resolution by a 5-0 vote. Staff said work would begin immediately to meet the OSLAD application deadline and that any scope beyond the authorized not-to-exceed amount would be brought back to the board.