Justice welcomes Commissioners Park revamp

By Carol McGowan

Justice residents and officials welcomed a break from the hot weather last Saturday to officially open the revamped Commissioners Park.

Justice Park District Executive Director Jennifer Bonbrake, Park Board President Carrie Bernardoni, and Commissioner Tabatha Sutera all took to the podium to address the crowd that gathered for the 10 a.m. ribbon cutting.

Park Commissioner Tom Bosworth and Commissioner Larry Noyes were also on hand for the anticipated event, along with other Village of Justice, Lyons Township and Roberts Park Fire Protection District officials.

Ground was broken last March, and since then, workers have been busy installing new playground equipment to replace outdated equipment that had been there for at least the last 15 years.

Commissioners Park is the biggest park in the Justice Park District and it was packed with activity after the official ribbon-cutting event.

Bernardoni said the overhaul was something she and the other commissioners had worked on since being elected.

“The opportunity to create something that enhances the enjoyment and welfare of our community has been a great privilege for this board.  Seeing children and families spending time outdoors in their community brings us immense joy and pride. We are grateful to GameTime for the generous grant, and to our dedicated staff who worked hard to make this vision a reality.”

Bernardoni also credited Bonbrake for all that she has done since taking over the position in August.

Bonbrake thanked all those who made the improvements happen.

“It takes a special kind of person to be fully committed to making your local parks an asset to the community. I am very fortunate to have such a supportive board of commissioners and an amazing staff to accompany me through that journey. To see all of the support was such a wonderful feeling. To anyone who helped in any way, big or small, I thank you.”

Justice Mayor Kris Wasowicz was on hand and told the crowd what a great job the park district has done, and applauded everyone involved for all of their hard work.

Back in March, Bernardoni said the park district will continue to revamp and improve programming for all ages.

For this most recent project, the park district received a $75,000 matching grant from GameTime, which designs and manufactures playground equipment.

For the latest happenings at the Justice Park District, visit www.justiceparkdistrict.com

Commissioners Park was packed with kids and family members enjoying the new equipment.

A first climb on the new equipment.

Ribbon cutting to officially welcome the new park equipment.