Politics & Government

Improvements in Sight for Historic Towne Park

Downtown park scheduled for improvements when Western Bypass project completed.

 

Algonquin’s Western Bypass will change the face of downtown, including Towne Park.

The landmark park sits feet away from the bypass construction and is closed while construction is underway. Any construction-related damage will be repaired before it reopens, said Michael Kumbera, assistant to the village manager.

Find out what's happening in Algonquin-Lake In The Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Improvements include the realignment of Crystal Creek and a new pedestrian bridge over the creek, near the entrance of Jefferson Street, Kumbera said.

Another major improvement is connecting Towne Park with McHenry County Convservation District's the Prairie Trail, he said. The park itself will have new trails connecting it to the Historic Village Hall, which is now used for recreation programming, he said.

Find out what's happening in Algonquin-Lake In The Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A new 100-space parking lot will be constructed at the end of Washington Street, allowing for greater capacity and a location for Prairie Trail users to park, Kumbera said.

Towne Park was originally called Mineral Springs, according to Algonquin.com. It was purchased in 1915 following a special election asking voters permission to purchase the 12 acres for $3,000, the site states.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here