Governor JB Pritzker announced last week the allocation of over $28 million in state grant funding for local park and recreational facility projects across Illinois. As part of the Rebuild Illinois capital program, the Park and Recreational Facility Construction Act (PARC) grant program, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), has awarded $2.8 million to the Glenview Park District.

The Glenview Park District plans to utilize the grant to enhance Splash Landings indoor aquatics center at Park Center. The proposed upgrades include updating pool finishes, adding new mechanical systems that allow for the activity pool and lap pool temperatures to be controlled separately, and introducing features such as a retractable ninja course in the lap pool and a replacement play feature in the activity pool.

“We are thrilled to receive state funding to improve our indoor aquatics facilities,” said Melissa Marsh, Division Director of Recreation and Museums. “These upgrades will benefit our lap swimmers, families visiting for open swim, individuals recovering and recharging in the warm water therapy pool, North Suburban Special Recreation Association participants, as well as adults and children learning the valuable lifesaving skill of swimming through our swim lesson program.”

Splash Landings is an indoor aquatic center within Park Center with a zero-depth activity pool, six-lane lap pool, whirlpool, warm water therapy pool, and aquatic play features. Overall visitation at Splash Landings last year totaled 79,596 users, including over 25,000 fitness member visits, over 23,500 swim lesson visits, 11,500 daily fee visits, and more than 3,000 visits from group outings and parties. The aquatic center hosts nearly 700 classes each year. During the 2022/23 fiscal year, 1,793 children learned vital water safety and swimming skills during group lessons at Splash Landings. As one of the only public indoor aquatic centers in the area, Splash Landings has a service area population of 314,708 people within 119,125 households.

The funding, which covers up to 90% of project costs, encourages local governments to match the value of the grants awarded, fostering collaborative efforts to enhance public recreational spaces.

“Thank you to our community who provided essential feedback that helped to inform our grant application,” said Michael McCarty, Executive Director of the Glenview Park District. “Their input and participation in this process helps to ensure our planning is aligned with community needs. We are grateful to the Governor and the IDNR for the investment in recreation infrastructure funding so we may continue to serve our residents and the region in a state-of-the-art facility.”

The PARC grant program supports projects that contribute to job creation, small businesses, environmental improvement, and the overall well-being of communities. The awarded funds will benefit the Glenview community and contribute to the broader goal of promoting health, wellness and environmental stewardship through upgraded public recreational spaces.