Fun, excitement and, yes, even a few scraped knees are in store in the coming months for younger residents in Frankfort.
The facelift of the Fort Frankfort playground in Commissioners Park, 22108 S. 80th Ave., began in December and Park District officials hope a majority of the work will be completed by Labor Day, Sept. 1. An official opening for the playground is in limbo.
The near-$2 million project received $1.7 million of state money courtesy of state Sen. Michael Hastings, who is anxious to see the project completed.
“It is a place where memories are made, scraped knees happen and imaginations run wild,” Hastings said in a statement. “Fort Frankfort is shaping up to be just that.”
Frankfort Park District Executive Director Gina Hassett said Fort Frankfort was a community-built project in 1999. Much of it was made of wood and scorching summers and bitter-cold winters took its toll on it.
The old playground was torn down and the new one will be inclusive with a main play area plus standalone pieces including a musical play ensemble.
There will be two shelters, an entry plaza with a custom wood arch, traditional and modern swings, play art, a sensory garden, perimeter fencing with plantings, a freestanding spinner, a freestanding climber and a shade tree.
“This will be a 98% inclusive playground,” Hassett said. “We will have ramps to go up to the play equipment. It will be inclusive for all abilities, so we are super excited about that.”
One of the shelters is already built. Many of the standalone areas have been complete. The entranceway and main play area will get the most attention in August.
Between 75-125 community members helped build the original playground in 1999, using private financing. It was completed Oct. 17 that year. Even younger residents contributed to the cause as they voted on the name of the playground.
“It was built by Frankfort residents and it remains a special place for members of the community,” Hassett said. “It’s multigenerational at this point.”
But a few decades ago, it was cheaper to build a playground. Not so much now.
“My worry was when the playground was nearing its end of life, would we go back to the residents and have a fundraising campaign?” Hassett said. “Back then, I think the playground equipment cost about $200,000. Now it’s in the millions.”
So the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant facilitated by Hastings was huge for a Park District that Hassett said is underfunded compared to others in the area.
A splash pad near the fort has been open during the construction this summer.
The Park District received $350,000 in 2022 to upgrade the splash pad and that got the ball rolling on several Commissioners Park projects.
Hassett said the village has received $1.6 million to expand a bike and pedestrian trail and connect it with Commissioners Park. Hassett said the park is figuratively on its own island and this is a good way to connect it to the rest of the village.
Frankfort Mayor Keith Ogle in May said it will be an important link for residents on the south side of the village to be able to bike or walk to the historic downtown area.
Ogle is hoping the new trail will be complete next summer.
Meanwhile, more big things regarding Commissioners Park and some of the other parks in Frankfort are on the horizon.
The Park District will host a Back to School Bash from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 14 at Commissioners Park and Hastings is expected to deliver news at the event of more than $5 million of grant money for various park projects.
Details on the projects have not been released.
For now, Hastings is focusing on Fort Frankfort.
“We are building something pretty special here in Frankfort and across the south suburbs,” he said. “It’s more than bricks and lumber. It is about giving our kids a place to grow up proud of where they are from.”
He also gave kudos to some of the workers from Countryside-based Schwartz Excavating for “sweating in the summer, putting in the work and doing it right. You guys are the real deal.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.