Park District Opts Against Applying For Grant To Repair Maryknoll Splash Pad

GLEN ELLYN, IL — At their June 16 meeting, Glen Ellyn Park District board members dismissed an option to apply for an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant to fund repairs to the splash pad at Maryknoll Park. The splash pad has been out of commission this year after substantial structural issues were found.

Board members estimated that relying on an OSLAD grant would push the splash pad's reopening into 2029. To avoid this delay, the park district will likely tap into its budget for the repairs to Maryknoll splash pad, in the hopes it can reopen by 2028.

The current OSLAD grant cycle is open July through August. Park district staff explained that grant application, acceptance, reviews and design would take up the majority of 2027 if they had chosen the OSLAD grant route.

Factoring in that time, along with subsequent construction time, would have put the estimated reopening date in May 2029.

Opting against requesting an OSLAD grant for the splash pad allows the park district to get an earlier start on public engagement, designs and bidding.

The park district aims to handle the feedback, design and permitting process by the end of 2026. Construction would then take place in 2027 and part of 2028, with a possible reopen date of Independence Day 2028.