Aurora Receives $43K Grant To Make RiverEdge Park More Accessible

AURORA, IL — Residents with disabilities who live in and visit Aurora will be able to better enjoy the city's RiverEdge Park soon. The city recently received a $43,131 grant from the Illinois Office of Tourism to add a number of accessibility features to the park, including additional handicapped parking and improved seating for people who use wheelchairs.

"The community spoke and we listened," Mayor Richard Irvin said in a statement. He added, "These enhancements will be very much appreciated by all."

In addition to improving parking and wheelchair accessibility, the city plans to provide golf carts that are handicapped-accessible and can ferry people who use wheelchairs, crutches, and canes from the parking lot on the east side of RiverEdge Park to the concert venue on the park's west side. The concert venue will also be equipped with ADA-compliant platforms to allow patrons to enjoy better viewing of live shows.

The City of Aurora plans to match funds to improve Gate 2 at RiverEdge Park, which is the current handicapped-accessible entrance. Changes will be made to sidewalks and curbs near the gate to make them more accessible. The gate itself will be enhanced to permit "easy and secure access" to guests who use the entrance.

City officials say work on improving accessibility at RiverEdge Park will begin in June.