Park and Environment Updates

First, some various funding updates for area parks. From the News-Gazette last month:

Virginia Theatre among tourism grant recipients
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has awarded $1.8 million in grants to increase Prairie State tourism — and the Virginia Theatre in Champaign is among the recipients.

The Office of Tourism announced the 17 recipients of two different grants, saying tourism produced more than $3 billion in tax revenue for the state and local communities last year.

One grant, awarded officially to the Champaign Park District/ Virginia Theatre, is for $50,000. It’s to be used for installation of “modern ‘intelligent’ theatrical lighting.”
...
The Tourism Attraction Grant program helps develop or enhance tourism attractions to boost visitation and overnight stays in Illinois. There were 13 recipients sharing $1.4 million. Officials say there were four times as many applications for this grant as there was available funding.

Full blurb available in the eEdition (with digital subscription) here. There was also an update by WCIA on Crystal Lake Park (with video segment here):

Work is underway on Crystal Lake Park Rehabilitation Project.

Developers needed the lake level lowered to allow for work on the new multi-use path.

The Park District is paying for this project with a grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program.

Carle Hospital matched the grant for a total of $537,000.

They expect the trail to be completed in July. 

Blurb and video segment available here. The Rehabilitation Project has an informational website here as well. The Middle Fork Forest Preserve's Dark Sky designation became official this month. From the News-Gazette eEdition:

Last weekend, Middle Fork River Forest Preserve was officially dedicated as a Dark Sky Park and a new park entrance sign was unveiled during a celebration attended by about 200, including people who were deeply involved in getting the park certified as the first and only International Dark Sky Park in Illinois and one of only 50 in the country.

Mary Ellen Wuellner, executive director of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, said it was a fun celebration that included a presentation on the importance of dark skies and what individuals can do to darken skies around our own homes, presented by David Leake, director of Parkland College’s

William M. Staerkel Planetarium, who was a driving force behind the park’s new designation. Wuellner said it’s been interesting to see how quickly the park’s designation has attracted visitors and phone calls from people interested in visiting. She said there are people who make a point of visiting Dark Sky Parks, which are listed on the International Dark Sky Association’s website, darksky.org.

Blurb available with digital subscription here. There was also a blurb last week on State funding becoming available to local governments here:

Local governments in Illinois may apply for state grants to acquire or develop space for recreation areas.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced Tuesday that applications will be accepted beginning July 1 for the Open Space Land Acquisition fund and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The OSLAD program provides 50 percent funding for qualified projects by municipalities that can show they have the ability to finance the remainder of the project.

The money comes from a portion of the state’s real estate transfer tax.

That blurb also available from the eEdition here.


Here are some additional links on the latest updates on various area environmental issues:

• From April: 5th and Hill Cleanup: Update from WCIA. Update from WCCU. Background from WILL here and from Champaign County Health Care Consumers here.
• May update on residents suing People's Gas over the natural gas leak in the Mahomet aquifer from WILL with background information as well.
• May update on Dynegy rethinking its Middle Fork stabilization plans from the News-Gazette here.
• May update on campus solar power including new Engineering roof panels from the News-Gazette here.

There was also a WCIA article on a state grant to help encourage students to bike or walk to school. More on that here.