4-11-2024 5:38am

Roscoe Township to begin constructing walking paths at Founders Park

Michael McGinnis Editor

Some of the walking paths planned for Founders Park in Roscoe, IL (in yellow)

Troy Lee Excavating, who is already preparing for construction of a multi-purpose pavilion at Roscoe Township's Founders Park, will also begin creating nearly 4,500 feet of limestone gravel walking paths around the park. Founder's Park, at 4562 Hononegah Road, includes the 1840's home of Roscoe’s founders, Hannah and Robert Cross, and the popular Roscoe Township Community Center.

Township trustees voted to submit a change order to add the project to the current work. Walking paths will be paid for by a state grant and were included in the original grant proposal. But architect Dan Saavedra thought of speeding up the process by making them a change order instead of a separate bid. Township attorney Tom Green called that a "brilliant idea," saying he ran it by his "brain trust," and "all my concerns are kind of going away quick."

The compacted limestone paths, more than 8/10 mile long, will be eight feet wide, with four feet of grass 'shoulder' on each side. They will wind through native prairie, pollinators, oak savannah, and shrubs. Troy Lee Excavating will use excess dirt to build berms where trees can be planted to provide privacy between park structures and residences at the adjacent The Gardens of Prairie Rose. Roscoe Township removed some thorny locust trees from the edges of the property.