Crews are making improvements at Irwin Park.
A large portion of the park on Ridge Road between Highland and Gottschalk Avenues in Homewood is fenced off to keep the public safe as crews dig up old concrete, work to install new play equipment and level out areas that will be the site of a pergola, stationary games, benches and planters.
The park district already installed a ramp off of Gottschalk Avenue, eliminating a set of stairs to improve accessibility.
Patrick McAneney, superintendent of parks and planning, expects the project will be completed by the end of June.
The Homewood-Flossmoor Park Board has a rotating schedule for park improvements and started seriously looking at Irwin Park, one of the largest parks in the district, in 2023. The last major updates to the park were the addition of the gazebo, additional parking, benches and amphitheater in 2008.
The park district knew costs would be high, but hoped state funds would help pay a portion of the Irwin improvements. The district was awarded a $600,000 Illinois Department of Natural Resources Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) matching grant for improvements at Irwin Park in fall 2024.
Upland Design was hired to help the park staff conduct public hearings and prepare concepts for changes. The firm also helped the district apply for the OSLAD grant.
The board purchased the new playground equipment in October 2025 for $252,032. The equipment was stored in the park district’s garage until March. The equipment is geared for kids ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12. The play area will get a shade structure.
