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Kane County-funded kayak launch, parking planned at Bartels Park as part of Fabulous Fox Water Trail access project
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Summary
County and consultants presented a concept to build an ADA-accessible kayak/canoe launch at Bartels Park, add parking and pedestrian connections, and redesign park amenities; Kane County has allocated federal ARP and state grants to fund the access elements, and the board gave consensus to move forward on Phase 1 (launch) and Phase 2 (parking/ADA access).
East Dundee trustees on Monday signaled support to move forward on a county-led plan to create an ADA-accessible river access site at Bartels Park as part of the Fabulous Fox National Water Trail.
Karen Miller, an executive planner with the Kane County Development Department and Illinois co-chair of the Fabulous Fox Water Trail, told the board Kane County has set aside American Rescue Plan funds and state grants to design and build public access sites along the Fox River. “Kane County took $1,200,000 of our American Rescue Plan funding and allotted it for planning, marketing, infrastructure for new and improved access,” Miller said, describing county funding and a $270,000 state grant for construction and a $100,000 marketing award.
The concept plan presented by landscape architect Ryan Alexander reconfigures Water Street and Bartels Park to add parking (including ADA and trailer parking), a raised crosswalk from parking to the launch, an ADA launch and ramp for paddlecraft, naturalized plantings and multiuse trail connections. The consultants also proposed optional elements such as a fishing pier and a floating dock designed to be removed over winter operations.
County staff and the consultant team said the Kane County Access Infrastructure Project would cover the paved access path to the launch, the launch ramp and associated restoration; park amenities (play areas, courts, pollinator gardens) would be a later phase that the village would pursue with additional grants. The county plans to encumber federally funded contracts this year and begin construction the following year under a county contract; a county-drafted intergovernmental agreement will spell out long-term maintenance responsibilities, which the presenters said would fall to the municipality that owns the park location.
Trustees' feedback focused on traffic flow, the feasibility of a protected bike lane along the project stretch of Water Street, and preserving parking for nearby businesses. Village staff said they will explore adding a bike-lane feasibility study to the engineering scope and will pursue additional grants to build out parking and park amenities.
The board gave consensus to proceed with Phase 1 (the ADA launch) and Phase 2 (parking/ADA access) and to defer detailed park-amenity decisions and community outreach to a later step.
