New Lenox Community Park District Meeting | August 2025

Article Summary: The New Lenox Community Park District is exploring a significant capital funding measure, holding a public hearing on a proposal to sell up to $1.5 million in bonds. The funds would be earmarked for acquiring land and for building, maintaining, and improving park facilities across the district.

Park District Bond Proposal Key Points:

• The district held a public hearing for a proposal to sell bonds in an amount not to exceed $1.5 million.

• Proceeds would be used for land acquisition, park development, and facility improvements.

• No members of the public attended the August 20, 2025, hearing to offer comment.

• A final decision on the length of the bonding authority is expected by November.

The New Lenox Community Park District on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, held a public hearing on a proposal to sell up to $1.5 million in bonds to finance future land acquisition and park improvement projects.

The hearing, held just before the regular board meeting, provided an opportunity for public comment on the potential debt issuance. Board President Schulz read the official purpose of the proposal aloud, stating the funds would be used “for the payment of land condemned or purchased for parks, for the building, maintaining, improving and protecting the same and existing land and facilities of the District and for the payment of the expenses incident thereto.”

No residents attended the brief hearing to speak on the matter, and the board took no formal action on the bond sale itself.

However, during the subsequent regular meeting, Commissioner Ott noted that bond information for the upcoming year was included in the board’s meeting packet. He explained that the district has the option to structure the bonding authority for longer than a typical three-year period, but that this is a strategic decision that will be discussed further and likely decided upon by November.

The potential infusion of capital comes as the district is actively managing several large-scale development projects. Work has already begun at Teerling Lakes Central Park, a property the board officially voted to annex later in the same meeting. At Sharon’s Bay Park, a redevelopment project funded in part by a state OSLAD grant, work began on August 5 with the removal of old playground footings and excavation for a new basketball court.

The board’s consideration of the bond sale signals a forward-looking approach to funding the ongoing maintenance and expansion of the district’s recreational assets.