Lake Bluff Receives Grant For Sunrise Beach Improvements

LAKE BLUFF, IL — The Lake Bluff Park District has received a $350,000 state grant to improve access to Sunrise Park and Beach for residents and people with disabilities, the district announced last week. The district said it has been planning to upgrade access points, paths and stairs at the beach and seeking grants for at least five years but funding has been challenging.

The president of the Lake Bluff Park District board, Rob Douglass, praised local state Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) for securing the grant to improve the beach, which he said was identified as the district's top asset in the past two surveys of the community.

"Sunrise Park and Beach is a special place and it is important that all individuals have an opportunity to experience its environment and shoreline," Douglass said.

Morrison said she was proud to support the project and looked forward to its completion.

"It is vitally important individuals with access limitation disabilities can enjoy our shared public spaces, including our parks and beach areas," Morrison said, in the district's announcement.

In 2014, voters replaced the stairs and improved the bathrooms at the park following a $3.1 million referendum, the Lake Forester reported. A spokesperson for the district said there were more needs that needed to be addressed. The board will review conceptual plans before determining the timeline and scope of the next work.

In April, the district announced it was also spending $66,800 on a coastal engineering study to come up with options to deal with erosion as Lake Michigan water levels near their all-time highs. The Chicago Tribune reported the lake's water level has risen from a historic low in 2013 to approach a record high recorded in 1986.