Oak Lawn Park District Gets $600,000 Grant For Wolfe Wildlife Refuge

OAK LAWN, IL — The Oak Lawn Park District was awarded a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development matching grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The grant will assist in funding the Wolfe Wildlife Refuge Rejuvenation Project.

The money has been earmarked for repaving pathways, adding a half- basketball court, six pickleball courts, fitness area, table games area, removal of invasive species, and other upgrades.

“Any time we can provide an improvement to our community that they’ve helped us identify and then find ways to fund it outside of taxpayer dollars, we’re going to make every attempt to secure those funds,” said Tom Hartwig, Oak Lawn Parks executive director.

Construction of this project is anticipated to begin this fall and will be completed in the summer of 2024.

“Wolfe Wildlife is a fantastic park, and these improvements will only make it better,” Hartwig said. “The pathways improvements will make the park safer and easier for residents to enjoy. As for pickleball, it’s the fastest growing sport in the nation, and we’re happy to see our community have another spot to play.”

Wolfe Wildlife Refuge, 109th and Laramie Ave, is a 45-acre natural wetland that features a walking and bike path, observation deck, outdoor pavilion, and a custom “tree-themed,” all-inclusive playground with seven swings and multiple slides.

Established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1986, OSLAD is a cost-sharing program between state and local governments that has become one of the most popular grant programs in Illinois. Since it was established, OSLAD has awarded more than $530 million for park projects throughout Illinois.

“Today, I couldn't be prouder to announce that IDNR's OSLAD program is offering the largest round of grants in the history of the program — nearly $60 million,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The health and wellbeing of Illinoisans sits at the heart of the OSLAD program, and for the first time ever, we've been able to provide 100% of funding assistance to qualifying distressed recipients.”

OSLAD grants typically provide up to 50 percent of funding for a project – excluding economically distressed communities where 100 percent of project costs have been covered. The other half is supplied by matching funds from the project’s local government agency.