The Elmhurst Park District will be undertaking a number of projects at Crestview Park in the coming years, including a new playground. The park district is holding an open house tonight, March 20, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. to get neighborhood input.
Neighborhood parks are just that—about the neighbors who live near them, and the Elmhurst Park District (EPD) is looking for input from the residents who live near Crestview Park, 245 E. Crestview Ave.
Officials are holding an open house this Thursday, March 20, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Crestview Park Recreation Building so neighbors can stop by and share their thoughts about what amenities they would like to enjoy at a renovated park.
The property where the park is located, originally 7.47 acres, was bought in 1963, according to the park district, and was named after the former occupant, Crestview School.
The park district purchased more acres from the school district in 1971 and 1980, through an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant (OSLAD) which is a state-financed grant program “that provides funding assistance to local government agencies for acquisition and/or development of land for public parks and open space,” according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
In collaboration with the EPD, homeowners’ association and community clubs, the park district erected a community building, dedicated in 1970; an addition was built in 1975.
According to the park district, the first playground was built in 1989, and two tennis courts were converted to two roller hockey courts in the late 1990s.
The playground was renovated in 2005, and in 2020, the park district added its first dedicated pickleball courts.
Amenities also include ball diamonds, basketball courts, drinking fountains, a picnic table, a sledding hill and a soccer field. The community building has hosted the Sunbeams & Rainbows preschool, along with numerous park district programs.
The EPD website indicates the park is now 11.14 acres.
“The playground is up for replacement,” said Keri Felkamp, director of marking and communications for the park district, who also noted the lifespan of a playground is about 20 years.
“We’re right at the 20-year mark,” she added.
Two main projects are being planned for the park, according to a park district release; one of which is a new year-round heated restroom, which will be funded through a bond referendum that was approved by Elmhurst residents in 2024.
A second project involves building a new playground, slated to be redeveloped in 2026.
Felkamp said that while no numbers are in yet regarding the cost of construction for a new playground—since no bids have been requested—“We have money budgeted for it.”
The recreation building “will continue to serve as a program space until the construction of the new Wagner Community Center, which is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027,” the release outlines.
“The park wanted to take a cohesive look at the entire park and develop a Master Plan,” the release also mentions, “which will review and evaluate all aspects of the park, helping to ensure future improvements align with community needs.”
And that, said Felkamp, is why the park district is holding an open house, because it is “a chance for the neighbors to weigh in.”
While all residents are welcome to the open house, she said she hopes to see the park’s neighbors in attendance, because they “have a sense of what they are looking for … the park district is very driven by the neighbors.”
And, Felkamp continued, the neighbors who live near the park have “the most vested interest” in what amenities and features the new Crestview Park will have. She said the park district has sent communications to the neighboring residents announcing the open house.
Elmhurst is “a very engaged community,” she added. “We wanted to make sure they [neighbors] give us their feedback.”
For more information on Crestview Park and other projects, visit epd.org/projects.
