Macomb, IL – The Macomb Park District spent years planning how to use its University Drive property. Now, development is finally ready to begin.
The park board approved the low bid for Phase 1 of the project. It came from Laverdiere Construction of Macomb. The price: $1,678,650.
Four other firms submitted bids. An engineer had estimated the work would cost $1,839,900.
Phase 1 construction includes soccer fields, four softball diamonds for girls, half of the exercise trail, two concession stands/restrooms, and infrastructure such as water, sewer, roadways, and parking lots.
Construction could begin almost immediately. Weather permitting, Phase 1 could be finished by mid-summer of next year.
Park District Executive Director Ray Peterson is ready to see the project through. "I'm sincerely excited about it simply because it's been a long, long process," says Peterson. "Myself and prior park boards have felt very strongly that this needed to be done."
He says development of the 80-acre site will provide safer fields and bring about gender equity in the quality of fields. It will also allow parents to take all their children to one site instead of forcing them to drive to different locations for different sports.
Peterson says the park district has been saving money from its annual bond issue to help pay for the work. Some of the money for the softball diamonds will come from an estate. In addition, a state grant will reimburse the district for $400,000 of the cost.
It's not known when the second and final phase of the work will begin. It will include construction of four adult softball diamonds, four baseball diamonds, light for the fields, and completion of the walking trail.