Park District to Renovate Jericho Lake Park

Jericho Lake Park is scheduled for a facelift.

The Fox Valley Park District board approved a master plan for its facilities this week, and listed among the projects is an estimated $1.2 million renovation of , off of Orchard Road on ’s west side. The 66-acre park is located next to , and features a 20-acre lake used for fishing and boating.

Slated improvements include two new shelters—one to replace the current shelter, and another overlooking the northern edge of the lake. There will also be a new permanent dock and floating pier, new restrooms and a new parking lot on the north side of the lake, which will bring capacity to 140 spaces.

Paved and mowed trails will be added, and will connect with Stuart Sports Complex, the park district’s massive central park undergoing soon.

But don’t look for the new Jericho Lake Park next summer. Construction is tied to a Kane County project to replace the Jericho Road bridge over Blackberry Creek, and that isn’t scheduled to start until the summer of 2013, according to Project Manager Mike Zakosek, with the Kane County Division of Transportation.

The two projects are being coordinated, since Kane County will provide two parts of the Jericho Lake Park renovation. Most notably, there will be a new entrance to the park off of Jericho Road—Zakosek said the entrance will be moved between 100 and 200 feet to the east, to avoid traffic coming off the new bridge.

Kane County will also construct a bike trail that will run along the west side of Orchard Road. The county and the park district have been in constant communication about their respective projects, according to Zakosek and Jeff Long, the park district’s public relations manager.

The $1.2 million figure is an estimate, Long said—the true cost of the renovation will not be known until the bids come back.

The Jericho Lake project was part of a $44.8 million park district referendum that passed in 2008, called the Open Space, Park and Recreation Investment. Jericho Lake Park will be one of the last projects completed with this money, but holding it over to 2013 allows the park district to pursue a state grant for extra funding, Long said.

“These improvements will greatly enhance what is truly a unique park site,” wrote Jeff Palmquist, the park district’s director of planning, development and grants, in a press release.