Naperville parks impacted by extreme rainfall

Where late April brought snow to Naperville, late May brought lots of rain, which is presenting a challenge for Naperville Park District staff.

According to current weather reports, May 2018 has surpassed rainfall records with more than 8 inches this month, and surpassing the previous record set in 1945 with just over 7.5 inches of rain.

With what tends to be an already aggressive spring mowing schedule for Park District staff, the extreme rain makes it even more so.

“We’re doing our best to focus on our increased mowing needs and allocating many of our staff to that task,” explained Kevin Finnegan, director of parks. “We ask for our residents’ understanding and patience as we try to play catch-up.”

An obvious challenge for golf is the impact to playable rounds, but the weather impacts course maintenance as well.

“Golf also has struggled with keeping up with mowing, especially in the rough, which can make things a bit more difficult for golfers. Staff has had to adjust schedules to accommodate the heavy growth and missed mowing due to heavier than normal rain,” said Kevin Carlson, superintendent of golf operations. “Fortunately, it seems that weather is the only issue keeping golfers off the course, as when we have favorable weather, participation has been very good.”

Lastly, the recreation area also has been impacted by weather, which has caused the cancellation and rescheduling of many athletic games.

Director of Recreation Brad Wilson, explained, “Our staff has been working diligently to reschedule games for Park District programs and Naperville athletic organizations, which has extended some of the spring sports season. We appreciate everyone’s patience during this time.”

For Park District staff, the spring season also means that it’s time to work on annual plantings, trimming and other detail landscaping work. However, with staff focused on overcoming mowing challenges, these other tasks will need to be postponed for the time being as staff puts additional time into mowing.

“We realize that our residents have high expectations for our parks and facilities and our staff takes a lot of pride in their work to make these spaces beautiful and enjoyable for our community,” said Executive Director Ray McGury. “We appreciate our residents’ patience as we work as quickly as possible to get our parks and facilities back into shape following a month’s worth of significant rain.”