As soon as it snows in the upcoming winter season, a $2.5 million expansion by the Huntley Park District will be completed with a bit of winter fun – a second sledding hill in Deicke Park.
A major part of the expansion was construction of a 12,000-square foot maintenance and storage facility immediately south of the Sting Ray Bay aquatic center in Deicke Park. A 22-foot-high hill was formed west of the center when excess dirt was placed there. Now, the Park District wants to turn this hill into a sledding site this winter. They got permission from the Huntley Village Board on October 26.
The park district needed permission from the village because this area is a planned unit development operated jointly by the village and park district.
Park District Executive Director Tom Palmer said this gives Deicke Park two sledding hills for winter activities. The land on which the hill is located was previously planned to be a parking lot for an expanded aquatic center.
“We aren’t planning on doing that now, and the maintenance center was built in an area once proposed for the expansion,” he said.
The $2.5 million project included the new maintenance building, remodeling of the old maintenance area east of Cosman rec center into programmable recreation space, and now the sled hill.
Palmer said the expansion has allowed the park district to expand its summer day camp program. Now, he said, the district can increase its day camp capability from 260 to 300 children.
