The Park District of Highland Park doesn’t have $4 million to spend right now on artificial turf fields at Danny Cunniff Park.
But a draft master plan keeps synthetic turf on the park district’s radar and makes a case for improving drainage, turf conditions and amenities at four parks where organized sports are played.
The plan outlined June 11 focuses on field improvements at four parks: Danny Cunniff Park north of Half Day Road; West Ridge Park in southwest Highland Park; Larry Fink Park on Clavey Road; and Sunset Woods Park near Highland Park’s downtown.
The plan proposes the park district establish the four parks as “athletic field hubs” and prioritize athletic amenities at the four sites. Danny Cunniff Park is the site identified for synthetic turf, should funding become available.
According to the plan, improving field drainage and speeding field recovery time following heavy rains is critical if the park district is provide reliable programming and reduce cancellations for soccer clubs and other organizations that provide the district with rental income.
Nearly one-half of the district’s parks are located within Highland Park’s flood plain, and some of the most flood-prone areas impact the athletic fields, the report noted.
Chicago Tribune Sports
Field usage for football, soccer and lacrosse has been declining. Those “rectangle sports” heavily rely on the Danny Cunniff Park South field, one of several parks with lighting, parking and restroom amenities, park administrators noted in the plan.
The concentration of programs at a few parks has resulted in field overuse, which damages the turf and impedes drainage. A staff analysis found the only sports fields with adequate drainage were two baseball diamonds at Danny Cunniff Park.
“There is an increase in heavy storms in our area, which impacts our fields, but also provides an opportunity for partnerships related to stormwater management,” said Amalia Schwartz, senior planner for the park district.
The Highland Park plan notes that the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago helped finance the Heritage Park sports complex with synthetic turf fields in Wheeling, which increased underground stormwater storage capacity. The park is located adjacent to the Wheeling Drainage Ditch, a tributary of the Des Plaines River.
The Highland Park plan identifies some strategies for improving drainage of the athletic fields through soil amendments and aeration of fields that receive frequent usage. In order to build resting periods into the field schedules, the plan suggests the park district develop partnerships with the school districts that would allow shared use of field space.
Commissioner Calvin Bernstein noted that synthetic turf was discussed when the park district developed its GreenPrint 2024 master plan, but there was no funding. Bernstein said he would like to see funding become a priority when an advisory group revisits GreenPrint this fall.
The Sports Field Master Plan is expected to be considered by the park board at a future meeting.