Nuts & Bolts: February

Nuts & Bolts: February 2023 

There’s a full schedule of essential work completed each day across our Wilmette Park District parks and facilities. Between maintenance, seasonal upkeep and general improvements, you may not catch all the exciting things – big and small – that our crews are responsible for. Nuts & Bolts is here to help you brush up on the behind-the-scenes activity around the District.

The work continues at Keay Nature Center! January’s mild weather gave our Parks and Planning crews the opportunity to make headway before the snow arrived. Several nature play bump-outs have now been completed in the park, featuring natural materials to promote physical activity, imaginative play and exploration.

These play areas utilize stumps, logs and other materials sourced from dead and diseased trees that were taken down around the Park District last year. A soft mulch surface surrounding the bump-outs creates a safe area for children to enjoy stepping “stone” stumps, balance logs and other play structures.

Crews anticipate completing Keay’s restoration project when the weather improves this spring. We can’t wait to see and experience the improvements made to this hidden gem!

With stormwater work awaiting completion at Thornwood Park, our Parks and Planning Maintenance Supervisor spent some time last month shuffling upcoming Field Permit locations to find the best solution for spring programming.

Working with Park District staff, WBA baseball and Wilmette Wings soccer, it was determined that WBA practices and games will be relocated to Howard Park for the spring season. With Howard Park occupied, Wilmette Wings will be relocated to a few alternate parks.

Parks Staff Updates:

Parks crews managed to keep up on ground maintenance as well as some fun partnership projects to benefit the local community…

With the arrival on snow in late January, our grounds crews completed snow removal at our parks and facilities to keep them safe and accessible to the community.

Whether you’re looking to clear out your bookshelf or need a good read to pass the time while the kids play in the park, we’ve got just the ticket! Last month, our parks crews partnered with local Boy Scouts to install Little Free Libraries in Maple and Forest Parks. The libraries are for anyone to partake in, and we encourage everyone to donate a good read to share with your neighbors. Take a book, leave a book and enjoy these new community amenities.

Around the district, parks crews visited parks to inspect playground equipment, courts and fields. They also completed tree work including mulching, trimming and debris removal. We’ve all seen neat and tidy mounds of mulch in gardens and landscaping, but do you know the benefits beyond aesthetics?

Mulching regulates soil moisture and temperature, a very beneficial practice in the freezing winter months! It helps to prevent root injury by slowing down the daytime thawing and night-time freezing process, keeping plant roots safe and healthy for springtime growth.

Building Staff Updates:

Outdoor work may slow in the winter, but there’s always work to be done indoors! Building crews have been busy freshening up our facilities by repainting, patching and repairing walls and rooms. With all the activities and traffic traveling through our community buildings, it’s important to keep up on maintenance and have everything shipshape!

Building crews also found time to install a new under-counter refrigerator at the Wilmette Golf Club restaurant. Enjoy a cool and refreshing beverage the next time you’re at the bar!

Check back next month to read a new installment of Nuts & Bolts, and take a peek behinds the scenes of the Wilmette Park District!