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Addison Park District opens ADA-accessible playground and upgrades at Centennial Park
Summary
The Addison Park District held a ribbon-cutting May 19 for a new ADA-accessible playground at Centennial Park. Executive Director Rob Bond said the nearly $2 million project — including a reported $600,000 grant contribution — adds inclusive play elements, new courts and stormwater improvements.
The Addison Park District formally opened an ADA-accessible playground at Centennial Park during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 19, officials said.
Rob Bond, executive director of the Addison Park District, credited the board of commissioners for the project and said the playground has seen heavy use since opening. "The gift is really to the people of Addison," Bond said, adding that the surfacing, ramps and accessible swings make the play area usable for people in wheelchairs.
Bond told ACTV Newsmakers that the facility's poured-in-place surfacing and turf replace wood chips to improve wheelchair access, and noted inclusive elements such as a sound system and a spinning feature that can accommodate a wheelchair. He said he joined the Park District in April 2025 and that it has taken "just over a year" to open the project to the public.
Commissioner Frank Angulo said the all-inclusive park was a priority for personal reasons: "This is a personal project for me because my nephew has special needs," he said, adding that the playground is intended to draw visitors from beyond Addison. Commissioner Dean Sethopoulos noted nearby programs have already made early use of the site.
Officials described the broader park work as a multi-faceted upgrade. "This was a project overall was almost $2,000,000," a commissioner at the event said, and added the Park District secured a $600,000 grant — described in the transcript as an "oscillate grant" tied to property tax transfer — which the district leveraged into roughly $1.8 million in project dollars as reported by speakers. The transcript did not provide a formal program name for that grant; the amount and funding descriptions are cited as spoken at the ceremony.
Bond listed additional improvements at Centennial Park: native plantings, stormwater retention and rain gardens; four pickleball courts, a tennis court and a futsal court; upgraded dugouts, a new gazebo and walking-trail work. He encouraged visitors to complete a short QR-code questionnaire at the event to give input on the Park District's future plans.
Park officials said the district plans further inclusive projects at Highview and Lake Manor and encouraged local schools to use the new site for events and photos. The ribbon-cutting concluded with commissioners formally cutting the ribbon and thanking attendees.
The ceremony included remarks from Dori Croagge of ACTV Newsmakers and multiple commissioners; details such as the grant program name and precise final accounting were described in the event remarks but were not fully specified in the transcript.
