Community Corner
Park meadow project planned for 9 Naperville parks
Native plants will replace turf for environmental benefits
In 2019 the Naperville Park District will begin a Park Meadow Project to improve its stewardship of park land. This initiative involves converting turf grass to meadow in strategic areas in 9 of its 137 parks. The meadow areas will be planted with native wildflowers and low prairie grasses. The areas selected for conversion include stormwater detention sites and other areas that are occasionally wet and are not used for recreation. The areas range in size from .10 acre to 1.25 acre. The Park District intends to extend the project beyond 2019, converting a few more acres into meadow each year in other parks across the District.
The project will take place in the following parks:
North
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Century Farms Park, 715 Sigmund Road
Olesen Estates, 1415 Dunrobin Road
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Wil-O-Way Park, 1408 W. Jefferson Avenue
Central
Bailey Hobson Woods Park, 1184 Hobson Mill Drive
Buttonwood Park, 803 Buttonwood Circle
Willowgate Square, 408 Travelaire Avenue
South
Ashbury Greenway, 3475 Naperville Road
Brook Crossings, 1015 95th Street
Knoch Knolls Park, 320 Knoch Knolls Road
“Replacing turf grass with attractive plants that are native to Illinois has several benefits,” explained Director of Parks Kevin Finnegan. “With their deep roots, native plants help absorb and filter stormwater, cleaning it before it reaches our rivers. The plants also provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.”
The initiative will result in cost savings for the Park District in the long term, reducing the frequency of mowing, and eliminating the need for watering and fertilizing.
Work will begin at the selected parks in March, when the turf grass and any invasive plants will be cleared and temporary fencing installed. Once seedlings sprout in the spring, low plants and grasses will cover the area during the first growing season. The native plants gradually will fill in during the second and third years, with blooming flowers and a variety of low prairie grasses.
More information about the project is available at www.napervilleparks.org/parkmeadow.
