The McKinley Park neighborhood's McKinley and Hoyne parks will receive long-desired upgrades in 2024, announced Park Supervisor Briana Soria at the February 13, 2024, meeting of the McKinley Park Advisory Council.
McKinley Park, at 2210 W. Pershing Road, Chicago, will receive a complete overhaul of its locker rooms and restrooms, while Hoyne Park, at 3417 S. Hamilton Ave., Chicago, will be staffed with Chicago Park District personnel after years of no on-site staff and a closed field house, Soria said.
The McKinley Park pool will also finally get some furniture for its patrons to use, making the area much more comfortable, including around the splash pad where parents and babies roast on hot concrete, as noted by officers of the advisory council at the meeting.
Pool Deck Furniture
Furniture for the pool deck will include benches, chairs and tables with umbrellas, Soria said.
Funding for pool deck furniture comes from around $6,000 in revenue from renting park facilities to third parties, often movie or TV production companies, Soria said. The Chicago Park District matched these funds, with the total applied to improving the McKinley Park pool.
Gymnasium Access
Another big improvement coming to McKinley Park is a complete overhaul of its locker rooms and restrooms, Soria said, an improvement that came through grant funding.
In addition to new lockers, toilets, family restrooms, changing tables, ADA compliant access and other rehabilitation, the men's and women's locker rooms will be reconfigured so park patrons no longer have to walk through them in order to get to the gymnasiums on the east and west wings of the field house.
Hoyne Park Staff
The heavily used Hoyne Park, which hosts the thriving Omega Delta Youth Baseball & Softball League, will be staffed with personnel for the first time in recent memory, with budget allocated for two part-time employees there, Soria said.
The preference is for a single full-time person dedicated to Hoyne Park, as Soria and advisory council officers discussed at the meeting, and this is still being advocated as an option.
Wish List
A long "wish list" still exists for park improvements, said McKinley Park Advisory Council President Veronica O'Malley, such as establishing a childrens splash pad next to the playground in McKinley Park.
"That's a big dream," Soria said.
Bleacher Seats
Higher up the list are things like more improvements to the McKinley Park pool, such as risers and bleacher-style seating, Soria said. "We're working on it."
Soria and officers discussed upcoming events and programs planned for 2024, including an Earth Day cleanup set for Saturday, April 20, 2024, and scheduling a Movies in the Park for Hoyne Park in the 2024 season.
The next McKinley Park Advisory Council Meeting is at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the McKinley Park field house, 2210 W. Pershing Road, Chicago.
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