Why would a park district take two neighborhood playgrounds offline in the same six weeks, at the start of the cold months? In Clarendon Hills the answer is a deadline. The Park District's renovation page says the old equipment at Blackhawk Park and Steeves Park will be removed and replaced, with work "estimated to begin in October and be finished by mid-November." The reason both are happening at once is in the board's July minutes, not on any sign at the parks.
Blackhawk Park is at 417 Burlington Avenue. Steeves Park is at 241 Eastern Avenue. They serve different parts of the village. Their equipment went in the same year, and the money replacing it comes from the same 2024 vote.
A December deadline in the July minutes
At the July 27, 2026 board meeting, Commissioner Mike Barcelos said the Blackhawk pieces were "faded and weathered" and that Steeves was in similar shape. Executive Director Don Scheltens said both playgrounds were installed in 2005, more than 20 years ago.
Then he told the board that "the referendum money must be spent by December." To help spend it, he said the two new playgrounds would cost $479,663.74 combined. Each will have areas for ages 2 to 5 and 6 to 10, and both will be ADA accessible. "There is something for everyone and this was thought through for both parks," the minutes record.
The board passed Resolution R-2026-03 four to zero, with one commissioner absent. It approves a joint purchasing agreement for Game Time playground equipment and installation. The district had a playground design firm draw up the layouts and posted plan drawings for Blackhawk and Steeves in July.
The minutes don't explain why the deadline falls in December. What they do show is a district treating the end of 2026 as the cutoff for this pool of money. Placing two playground orders together in late July fits that timeline.
What voters approved in 2024, and where each item stands
The money comes from an $8,000,000 bond referendum on the March 19, 2024 ballot, which passed with 70.1% voting yes. The district's FY2026 audit names Lions Park Pool as the main focus. It lists playground, athletic field, pathway and ADA improvements as the other approved work. Before the vote, the district explained that its regular capital and operating budgets couldn't keep up with the pool. It also said pool repairs had been pushing back other park projects.
The district's referendum FAQ listed what the $8 million would pay for. Here is how that list matches up with the public record as of this month:
| Promised in 2024 | Status in the record, October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lions Park Pool renovation: slides, spray park, mechanical systems, family changing rooms | Closed for construction in 2025 with a Memorial Day 2026 target. By July 2026 the board was discussing splash pad runoff. |
| New pickleball courts at Prospect Park | Reported completed in September 2025 |
| Playground upgrades at Blackhawk, Kruml and Steeves | Blackhawk and Steeves approved in July 2026, work estimated October to mid-November. Kruml isn't mentioned in the July approval. |
| Athletic field improvements at Prospect Park | Baseball field work with Beritus set to start August 3, 2026 |
| Pavilion and pathway at Hosek Park | On hold for more study as of September 2025. A revised master plan was posted in March 2026. |
| Gazebos at Kruml Park and Park Avenue Park | No update in the sources reviewed |
| ADA accessible upgrades in all parks | Built into the new playground designs |
The pool at 100 Byrd Court was the biggest item and took the longest. It was closed in 2025 while work went on, and Hinsdale offered Clarendon Hills residents its resident rate at its own pool in the meantime. By late July 2026 the board was dealing with follow-up problems. Commissioner Barcelos said water was running off the splash pad into the landscaping, and staff said the pool contractors were still working on a fix. The same discussion included a $20,000 replacement of the split rail fence around the grass lot. Scheltens said there was "still funding available in the referendum to complete this work."
The audit also shows how fast the money has been going out. It records $4,691,659 in bond proceeds spent on referendum projects during fiscal year 2026 alone. That is more than half of the $8 million in a single fiscal year. The playgrounds are the next large item.
Prospect Park takes on the season
The referendum work at Prospect Park started before the playground work and is more complicated. Field improvements are on the renovation page, where Hitchcock Design Group is listed for design, bidding and construction administration. Construction was set to begin "approximately in August." The field's problems go back further than that. In March 2025 the district was already gathering information on a new backstop and fencing for Field 2. In April 2026, Superintendent of Parks Blake McMahon told the board the Eccles Field backstop repairs were more extensive than expected and that he had called a contractor about a permanent repair.
By July, Board President Austin reported that Little League wasn't satisfied with the proposed grading. Staff brought in an independent field expert from SportsFields to review the plan. A scoreboard and bullpens had been added to Eccles Field, and Beritus was scheduled to start August 3. Little League still wanted a brick wall behind the backstop, which would cost $65,000. Doug Fair of RVI/Hitchcock Design Group said the wall would change drainage patterns and would need more analysis. Staff planned to ask Little League whether it would pay for the wall. The district's meeting calendar has no minutes posted for August, September or October. That means the backstop decision and the current state of the field work aren't in the public record yet.
With two of the village's playgrounds fenced off for part of the fall, Prospect Park is also where the season's free resident events are scheduled:
- Campfire & Movie Night, October 8. S'mores and an outdoor showing of Coco. The district moved the start to 6:30 p.m., saying it acted "based on community feedback."
- Boo on the Block, Thursday, October 29, 4 to 7 p.m. The district calls it "a brand-new Halloween celebration," with trick-or-treating, local vendors, food trucks, inflatables and entertainment for all ages. It is free for Clarendon Hills residents.
- Village trick-or-treating, Saturday, October 31, 3 to 7 p.m. These are the hours on the Village calendar.
If the playground estimate holds, Boo on the Block lands in the middle of the Blackhawk and Steeves work, two days before the village's own trick-or-treat hours.
What the December deadline doesn't cover
Some 2024 items don't appear in this fall's work. Hosek Park at 321 Hudson Avenue was put on hold in 2025 for more study. Its revised master plan, posted in March 2026, calls for an accessible path to the sports fields, a gazebo, a basketball court renovation and a natural area overlook. The district says it "may be applying for an OSLAD grant next year" to help pay for that work. In other words, Hosek is expected to need grant money on top of the referendum funds.
Kruml Park was one of three playgrounds named in 2024. The July resolution covers only Blackhawk and Steeves, and the minutes don't say anything about Kruml.
Future park projects will go through a different process. In April the district said it was seeking proposals for a ten-year comprehensive master plan built on community input. The process is expected to take six to eight months, with board approval targeted for spring to summer 2027. One early request has already reached the board. Commissioner Fetzer passed along an email asking about a pump track like the one at the Forge in Lemont. The minutes note a pump track needs at least an acre. The idea was added to the community survey part of the master plan, and President Austin said the district doesn't have enough acreage for it.
That survey is how residents will weigh in on the next set of projects. Unlike the 2024 money, it doesn't come with a December deadline.
New park equipment, a renovated pool and a full Prospect Park calendar all affect what a Clarendon Hills home offers, and buyers ask about these details. If you're curious how this kind of local change shows up in your home's value, Brandon Loncar can walk you through it. Our Clarendon Hills neighborhood page covers more about the village, and you can request your instant home valuation whenever you're ready.
