GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $200,000 GRANT FOR PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP PARK DISTRICT

SPRINGFIELD -- Governor George H. Ryan today announced a $200,000 grant to help Plainfield Township Park District develop 30 acres of land into a new community park.

"Children need a safe place to play," Ryan said. "This project will give the residents of Plainfield a wide range of new recreational opportunities and ease crowding at existing parks."

New facilities will include a playground accessible to the disabled, a picnic shelter, baseball and soccer fields, basketball and volleyball courts and a jogging path. A planned bike route through the township will provide safe access to the park by youngsters. Future plans include a sled hill, concession building with restrooms and additional athletic fields.

The Plainfield Township Park District project is one of more than 100 projects sharing in $18.4 million this year from the state's Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Program. The state will pay up to 50 percent of a project's total cost, with a maximum development grant award of $200,000.

More than $108 million has been awarded for local park projects since the OSLAD program was initiated in 1986. Program funds come from the state real estate transfer tax.

Additional information is available from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Division of Grant Administration, 524 S. Second St., Room 315, Springfield, IL 62701-1787 or call 217/782-7481.