$585K Grant To Help Fix DuPage County Fairground Parking Lot

WHEATON, IL —DuPage County will use a $585,000 grant to keep repaving the parking lot at the fairgrounds. The goal is to make the parking lot more accessible to voters.

The polling place accessibility grant comes from the Illinois State Board of Elections and augments a $149,000 grant the county received from Illinois earlier this year.

“Nearly 34,000 people voted at the fairgrounds during the 2020 General Election," DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said in a news release.

Kaczmarek added, "Voters returning in 2022 will already notice a night-and-day difference in the condition of the main parking lot from funding from the first grant. Many of the bumps, potholes, gravel and puddles near the polling place are already gone. We’re pleased that this latest grant was approved so the lot can be completed."

Following the surge in voting at the fairgrounds in 2020, DuPage County Deputy Clerk Scott MacKay suggested the initial grant be used to repair the parking lot, which had potholes, bumps and loose gravel.

DuPage County applied for additional funds to continue to repair the parking lot after the initial maintenance was completed.

“I cannot thank Clerk Kaczmarek and her team enough for their support. Receiving the first polling place accessibility grant lifted the grounds incredibly," DuPage County Fairgrounds Association Manager and CEO Jim McGuire said in a statement.

He added, "The comfort of our guests was huge, but the overall look and functionality has created many opportunities. To receive a second big grant is something we have only dreamed about.”