LAKEVIEW — Three community playlots in Lakeview will be looking a little brighter this year.
Kenmore Playlot at 3141 N. Kenmore Ave., Wendt Playlot at 667 W. Roscoe St., and Telcser Playlot at 3151 N. Lakeshore Dr. all won grants for new, free equipment as part of the park district's Chicago Plays! Playground Renovation program, according to Ald. Tom Tunney (44th)'s communications director Erin Duffy.
All three parks will be outfitted with completely new equipment over the summer, to be paid for by the Chicago Park District. Groups will be shown two options for equipment layouts over the next month, and all parks will be surfaced with Fibar, a soft, engineered product that resembles wood chips.
Once equipment is chosen, buildout will take about six weeks, Duffy said. Because none of the winning Lakeview parks are accompanied by summer camps, the parks may be revamped earlier than the other winners, she said.
Community groups had to apply to receive the free equipment. A total of 35 parks were selected this year as part of a long-term mayoral push to replace equipment in all of the city's 300 playgrounds. Any features signature to a particular park will be refurbished.
These Lakeview parks are in dire need of sprucing up: At least Wendt and Kenmore had failing safety scores this past year, Duffy said, and previously, Tunney has bemoaned the "depressing" look of Telcser.
"These are small playgrounds in the heart of Lakeview that serve many families on a daily basis," she said. "They add to the wonderful quality of life that our residents enjoy."