Prairie & Weaver Parks Phase II

Background

Prairie Park was established in 1967 and is located west of Prairie School. It is home to 4 youth soccer fields, a ball diamond, and our Health and Wellness Facility. Weaver Park was acquired with the assistance of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in 2002.

The construction of the Health & Wellness Center in Prairie Park began the Summer of 2023. In addition to the new facility, Prairie Park currently supports baseball and soccer and previously supported softball.

Master Planning

The last Weaver Park master plan was created in 2005, a time of high athletics participation, and it planned for three ball diamonds and nine soccer fields in Weaver Park, along with natural areas. This planning process has determined that fewer fields are needed, and natural areas will be of greater emphasis. Prairie Park’s master plan is much newer, and was created in 2019 during the planning for the Health & Wellness Center. The park district has been working with Farnsworth Group Inc., an architecture and engineering firm on updating the two plans and evaluating outdoor athletics needs district wide.

Community Input and Planning

During the fall of 2022, the first round of community input for this project included a survey that was distributed to the districts program participants and contacts as well as through Urbana School District contacts. This Outdoor Courts, Fields, and Amenities Survey received approximately 750 responses. In February 2023, two focus groups were held at the Phillips Recreation Center to build upon survey responses. One focus group centered specifically on athletic fields, the other more generally on recreation, trails, and natural areas. The district also consulted with its citizen advisory committee and natural areas committee to help establish priorities for the plan updates.

In August 2023, the district hosted a virtual open house meeting to review the two draft concepts and a survey to gather thoughts. At this meeting, the district received additional feedback that prompted an extension of the planning process. To facilitate and help with our ongoing planning efforts, the park district assembles a Stakeholder Steering Committee that includes representatives from different backgrounds. The initial Stakeholder Committee meeting, held in October of 2023 branched out into four Stakeholder Subcommittees with each having its own focus:

School & Community Engagement
Natural Resources & Environment
Athletics & Active Recreation
Trails & Kickapoo Rail Trail

The Stakeholder Committee and Subcommittees helped guide our planning efforts through a multi-month planning process. These committees assisted by reviewing site history, assessing current site conditions/ecology, reviewing public input received to date, developing a plan for ongoing and future public input, supporting public engagement, and assisting with reviewing plan updates. The Urbana Park District met frequently with the Stakeholder Committee and Subcommittees over the last year and minutes from these meetings can be found below in the planning documents links.

The School & Community Engagement Subcommittee provided feedback for additional community engagement and the park district initiated multiple engagement opportunities with schools, outreach groups, and park district events. The district engaged with approximately 570 individuals including the following:

Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr. Elementary School
Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr. Elementary School Parent and Neighbor Open House
Urbana Middle School (S.P.L.A.S.H.)
DREAAM
Tiger Academy
Urbana Park District F.R.E.S.H. After School Program
Urbana Neighborhood Connection Center

The district received extensive feedback on the Weaver & Prairie Parks Master Plans from these meetings and reengaged with the Farnsworth Group to update the draft plans for Weaver & Prairie Parks. Draft plans were reviewed and refined with the Urbana Park District’s Board of Commissioners, Planning Stakeholder Committee, Citizen Advisory Committee, and Natural Areas Committee.

Current Construction

The Urbana Park District has applied to two Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grants and will receive $4 million dollars in funding for Weaver & Prairie Park capital and infrastructure improvements. This includes soccer fields, access roads, parking lots, site lighting, plant/prairie seeding, and trails for both parks. Construction is planned to begin in 2027.

Next Steps

Development for Weaver & Prairie Parks Phase III will include elements such as pickleball courts, a playground, skate park, volleyball courts, a pavilion/bath house, and a splash pad!

The park district will continue to work towards securing funding opportunities to implement this development phase. There is no current timetable for construction.