Bob O'Shaughnessy, supervisor for the Worth Park District, holds up a sign that shows a plan for development of Altman Park that dates back to the early 1980s. A resolution was passed by the Worth Village Board that will allow Altman Park to be managed by the park district through a lease agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. (Photos by Joe Boyle)

Bob O'Shaughnessy, supervisor for the Worth Park District, holds up a sign that shows a plan for development of Altman Park that dates back to the early 1980s. A resolution was passed by the Worth Village Board that will allow Altman Park to be managed by the park district through a lease agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. (Photos by Joe Boyle)

Altman Park eyed as a future recreation jewel in Worth

Spread the love
reporter worth altman park photo 11 24

Altman Park, which is located along 115th and Beloit, will be managed by the Worth Park District through a resolution that was approved with an agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. A master plan will be worked on with input from local officials and the community for what recreational activities and development should take place on the 27-acre property.

By Joe Boyle

When Bob O’Shaughnessy was appointed supervisor of the Worth Park District eight years ago, he had one main priority.

His primary goal was to have the area known as Altman Park be managed and cared for by the Worth Park District.

So, O’Shaughnessy was delighted when the Worth Village Board voted unanimously during a board meeting on Nov. 15 to approve a resolution that will allow Altman Park, near 115th and Beloit, to be leased to the park district through an arrangement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

The supervisor said this may surprise many residents who were under the impression that Altman Park, which borders the Cal-Sag Channel south, the Terrace Centre to the north, and Water’s Edge Golf Course on the western end, was already part of the park district.

“A lot of people think that,” O’Shaughnessy said during an interview Friday. “But this is big. This is an opportunity to do more things. We want to develop the land and we have the original plans dating back to 1982. We will now work on a master plan that will be much different than 40 years ago.”

O’Shaughnessy displayed two plans that were drawn up during the 1980s that had an emphasis on baseball, softball and a football field. A lot has taken place since then, O’Shaughnessy said, and will currently include more land for soccer, which has grown in popularity.

But the supervisor and Mike McElroy, president of the Worth Park District Board, are both in agreement on one addition they would like to see — a new community center built on the Altman Park property.

“The dream is to build another community center,” O’Shaughnessy said. “The current building (Terrace Centre) is a former school and dates back to the 1940s. There will be a lot of ideas about a master plan from our staff, the village and the residents. Once we go over details with the village and the MWRD, we will hold community meetings to get input from residents. But that will be the fun part.”

McElroy added that it has always been a goal to lease Altman Park to the care of the park district for development.

“We got the wheels going for this about five years ago talking to the MWRD,” McElroy said. “What the park does best is providing recreation. Developing Altman Park would be ideal. We have a great team and they are working on it.”

Like most local municipalities, Worth has been hampered financially the past couple of years during the height of the pandemic. The Worth Park District has also been affected by COVID-19, which has created financial stress.

However, while further discussions have to take place with the village and the MWRD, O’Shaughnessy and McElroy see bright days ahead through financial assistance, including the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development Grant Program.

The OSLAD Grant Program provides up to about 50% funding assistance for eligible local units of government to acquire or develop public outdoor recreation areas.

“We are really excited to work with the MWRD,” McElroy said. “The master plan kind of gives us a road map.”

While the Terrace Centre has served the park district well for many years, another community center would be needed for the future, O’Shaughnessy said. The Terrace Centre has become antiquated and roof repairs and other major costs for the aging structure could be a financial drain, the supervisor said.

Over the years, the village has bought parcels of land. In the case of the area that now has Water’s Edge Golf Course and Altman Park, this property was leased through an agreement with the MWRD.

The idea was to build a golf course and develop over time the rest of the land. Worth Mayor Mary Werner said the project to build the golf course became a reality in the 1990s. The first rounds of golf were played at Water’s Edge in 1997.

After the golf course opened, future projects for the remaining property stalled.

“After the golf course was completed, they just ran out of money,” Werner said.

The mayor also mentioned that the golf course was losing money for years but has since broke even of late under new ownership. In relation to Altman Park, she said that it was best that the park district eventually manage the property. But due to various other financial concerns and other economic issues over the years, plans for Altman Park were put on hold, Werner said.

“It’s kind of sad that the property has not been used the way it could,” Werner said. “We used it for Worth Days when we held them and we rented it for other events like National Night Out.

“But we think (the agreement) will be a good thing,” Werner added. “A lot of things will have to be worked out. We had first really started talking about this in 2016. But then other things would come up. That’s just the way it goes sometimes when dealing with budgets.”

At this point, the park district does not manage the parking lot adjacent to Altman Park and the golf course. Werner said the boat launch is currently cared for in part by the village. The mayor said that a portion of the parking lot will most likely continue to be managed by the village in relation to the boat launch and the nearby driving range.

O’Shaughnessy said that Altman Park could one day feature an outdoor fitness area and plenty of space for sports in general. He believes a developed Altman Park will go well with the golf course.

“It is a beautiful course and to have a beautiful recreation center would really compliment that,” O’Shaughnessy said.

Local News

Funeral2

Obituaries March 28, 2024

Spread the love

Spread the loveHONORATA BIS Honorata Bis (nee Donicz), age 71, passed away peacefully with loving family by her side February 27. Beloved wife of Adam Bis; loving mother of Konrad Bis and Monika (Mariusz) Sarna; dear grandmother of Michael, Matthew, Amelia and Szymon; dearest daughter of the late Irena (nee Szaniawska) and the late Jan…

Sheri Cannataro, of Cannataro Farms, demonstrates the gear she wears to extract honey from a bee hive for visitors who stopped by to see her products at the Hills Chamber of Commerce Business and Community Expo Saturday at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills. (Photos by Joe Boyle)

Residents warm up to Hills Chamber Business Expo

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Spring has arrived but winter continues to leave its calling card. However, that did not prevent the Hills Chamber of Commerce from holding its 10th annual Business and Community Expo Saturday at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills. While the temperatures were frigid and windy outside, the spirit inside…

Palos Park Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters speaks about zoning codes at the March 25 council meeting. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

Palos Park to tweak outdated village zoning codes

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The village of Palos Park has no grand plan to change the village landscape. But officials want to modernize some of its zoning codes. “The village has not comprehensively updated its development regulations since 1960,” Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters said at the March 25 village council meeting. “Due to this, there…

Ridgeland sd122 logo

SD122 psychologist resigns over Islamophobic posts

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam A psychologist for Ridgeland School District 122 has resigned after hundreds of parents demanded she be fired for social media posts that were pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian. District Supt. Joseph Matise announced at a schoolboard meeting last week that Dr. Laurie Hoke had resigned. “Dr. Hoke will no longer be working…

CRR_NH

Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound March 27, 2024

Spread the love

Spread the love

Mary Stanek

Will the month of March leave like a lion?

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place •  (773) 517-7796 . The days are getting longer and slightly warmer. But my prediction of a few weeks ago–March is certainly not leaving like a lamb–may prove to be correct. A sure sign of spring in…

Peggy Zabicki

Robin sighting a sign of new beginnings

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327 . I saw a robin the other day. This was the first sighting of the season for me. I remember my mom saying that the first robin of spring is a promise of new beginnings. May it be so. Is…

Kathy Headley

Get those Easter baskets blessed at St. Thomas More

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . We’ve got several events coming up in the near future that I want to share with you, so let’s get started. The traditional Blessing of Easter Baskets takes place at St. Thomas More, 2825…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Thome sweet Thome: Nazareth baseball defeats Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s alma mater

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Nazareth baseball team took a road trip to the middle of Illinois and improved its record to 7-0 on March 23 by beating Limestone, 6-0. Limestone is the alma mater of former White Sox player and Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Thome, who is an assistant coach…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Chicago Catholic League greats headed to Hall of Fame

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A handful of area stars will be inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The list features Kevin Bracken (St. Laurence, wrestling), Kevin Carberry (St. Rita, football), Matt Macievic (De La Salle, cross county and track), Mike McGrew (Mount Carmel, football), Dan Nicholson (Brother Rice,…

Neighbors

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022…

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

By BETH HUNDSDORFER  Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

By PETER HANCOCK  Capitol News Illinois  phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact.  That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval.   Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

By ALEX ABBEDUTO   Capitol News Illinois  abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com  The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement.  Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…