GLEN CARBON - Tennis courts are getting closer to returning to Glen Carbon as part of the Schon Park Phase 3 improvement project, which is making progress following Village Board approval of two related resolutions on Tuesday.
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After swapping the Miner Park tennis courts for pickleball courts last month, the Village Board voted to pursue funding a project which will bring tennis courts and much more to Schon Park.
Public Works Director Scott Slemer outlined the full scope of the project’s third phase at Tuesday’s Village Board meeting.
“Schon Park Phase 3 is expected to include a sports complex including tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts, in addition to connecting paths to the existing parks system per the Parks and Trails Master Plan,” Slemer said.
The village is now set to pursue Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grants for Fiscal Year 2025 for the development of the Schon Park Phase 3 project. The grants will reportedly reimburse 50% of the project cost, up to $600,000.
The board also approved a related resolution creating a minor subdivision within Schon Park, dividing just over 10 acres in the park’s northeastern quadrant into a separate parcel. Erika Heil, Director of Community Development, explained this is being done in an attempt to secure grant opportunities from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) while adhering to their regulations, which previously prevented them from securing the funding.
When the Schon family sold the land for Schon Park to the village in 2010, certain deed restrictions were in place which limited the vast majority of the park’s land to be used for “passive recreation” only, such as picnics, walking, hiking, and wildlife viewing. The only exception at the time was a seven-acre section in the park’s northeast corner, which was later expanded to over 10 acres in 2013 - this is where the new tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts will go.
The IDNR has stated they won’t approve funding for properties with any deed restrictions present, even with clearly documented exemptions - so by splitting the northeastern quadrant into its own parcel of land, unbound by any prior deed restrictions, the village hopes to satisfy the IDNR’s regulations and secure grant funding for the Schon Park project.
Both resolutions were approved unanimously, allowing the village to apply for grant funding for the project, with no timeline yet estimated for the completion of Phase 3.
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