LINCOLN PARK — If they build it, Lincoln Park elementary students will come.
The neighborhood's very own Field of Dreams, named after the 1989 film with the same name starring Kevin Costner, is finished after roughly four years of planning.
Students at Alcott Elementary School, 2652 N. Orchard St., were greeted with a brand new outdoor space — complete with state-of-the-art playgrounds and an artificial turf field — on the first day of school.
"I'm not embarrassed to say I shed a few tears. It was beautiful to see how this space is transforming the neighborhood. What a great gift to the Alcott kids," said Robin Fine, a parent who led the Field of Dreams project.
A little girl playing at one of the new playgrounds at Alcott Elementary in Lincoln Park. [All photos DNAinfo/Mina Bloom]
A play area with permeable asphalt featuring a world map.
The total cost of the project was $1.6 million. Of that amount, $260,000 was raised by parents with the Field of Dreams committee, $750,000 came from an Illinois Green Infrastructure grant and $600,000 came from open-space impact fees, according to Ald. Michele Smith's (43rd) office. None of the funds came from the Chicago Public Schools.
"The $600,000 in open-space impact fees we were able to secure represents excellent coordination between state and city officials and irreplaceable members of the community ... good things happen when people work together," Smith said in a written statement.
Mina Bloom says all the money came from grants and donations:
Prior to the renovations, the field had drainage issues, which would result in frequent floods despite four metal sewers located in the grass. Parents said it was rocky, uneven and dangerous. One child broke his ankle and the local Oz Park Baseball Association deemed the field unsafe for teams to practice or play on for the 2014 season.
The flooded field at Alcott Elementary, taken about four years ago. [Robin Fine]
"It's a great amount of space but nobody wanted it anymore because it was so bad," Fine said.
Now the flooded field has been replaced with an artificial turf field with a running track around its perimeter, and the half-sized basketball court has been replaced with a full-sized court. There's a play area with permeable asphalt featuring a map of the world.
There are two playgrounds — one for little kids and one for older kids to accommodate Alcott's student body, ranging from preschool-age kids to eighth-graders.
A wooden amphitheater was finished two years ago. It previously had been covered with gravel, dirt and rubble from an unfinished CPS project that was abandoned more than 10 years ago.
"There's nothing that's still there from when we got started," Fine said.
Even though kids couldn't enjoy it too much on the first day of school due to rain, Fine said the project, which she called "her baby," will benefit students for years to come.
"I've driven by during lunch and recess. It's a whole new feeling. It's really, really special," she said.
Alcott Elementary's second new playground.
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