LINCOLN SQUARE — Crews will begin ausdding better drainage and other upgrades to some of Winnemac Park’s sports fields this summer.
The park’s baseball fields where Amundsen High School teams play and practice become muddy and unplayable after rain, which has been a problem for at least 10 years, baseball coaches have said. Players and coaches must prep the fields to safely practice with the mud.
To remedy this, officials plan to renovate Winnemac Park by installing an artificial turf infield with grading and stormwater improvements to drain the baseball outfield and soccer field. The improvements will use about $2 million from the Western Avenue (North) Tax Increment Financing district.
The TIF money expires at the end of 2024, so construction must wrap by then, Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) previously said. The park district will solicit bids from contractors in April with the goal of starting construction in June and having the new fields ready for use by November, according to park district plans.
Once construction starts, the baseball field near Foster Avenue and the adjacent soccer field will be fenced off to the public, according to park district plans. The park’s other four baseball fields will be accessible during construction.
The long-awaited upgrades have been somewhat at odds with the park’s long-running and unsanctioned July 4 fireworks show.
Beloved by participants and hated by some neighbors, the unofficial show is one of the most prominent amateur fireworks displays on the North Side. It litters the park with debris while filling the sky with smoke, neighbors have said.
Pushback on the tradition grew in 2022 when Vasquez (40th) urged people to stay off the fields due to the park’s turf issues.
Tensions escalated last year when Vasquez asked the park district and police to fence off the baseball fields where fireworks are set off and close Amundsen High School’s parking lot to further curb the event.
Some fireworks scofflaws still managed to put on a show, even as the fencing, increased police presence and signs reminding neighbors fireworks are illegal in Chicago kept the crowds away, neighbors said.
Vasquez again is pleading with neighbors not to set off fireworks in the park.
“I’m glad that we’re actually going to see it built and completed this year,” Vasquez said of the field improvements. “I definitely want to make sure to let people know that, given the fact the construction is going to be happening, that people please don’t have a fireworks event in July at the park.
“We’re talking a multimillion-dollar infield being built this year, and we don’t want anyone who may be thinking about getting fireworks right now in preparation for July to be spending any of those dollars.”
Even if the fireworks organizers limit themselves to the other baseball fields, the debris can land on the fenced-off construction site and potentially cause problems, Vasquez said.
“Even if we do wall off the construction site, something can still fall in there,” Vasquez said.
In an attempt to legitimize the July 4 celebrations, the Winnemac Park advisory council is organizing an event with fire dancers, food trucks, a family yoga session and kickball tournament but no pyrotechnics or fireworks, organizers said.
Vasquez has supported those efforts as an alternative the fireworks.
Other upgrades coming to Winnemac Park during construction include new batting cages, player benches, sports lighting, ADA-accessible paths and bleachers; renovated tennis courts; and new pickleball striping on the east tennis court, according to park district plans.
“Together, with support from local officials and the community, we can bring the Chicago Park District’s aging infrastructure into the modern age, and meet the current needs of the communities it serves,” Park District Superintendent and CEO Rosa Escareño said in a statement. “Field improvements not only have an immediate impact on the teams that play there, but they also make play accessible to future generations of athletes of all ages and abilities.”
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