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ForestParkReview.com Vol. 108, No. 35
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REVIEW
BEST SSMALL WEEKLY WEE NEWSPAPER NEWS ILLINOIS IN ILL
Eats guide
SEPTEMBER 3, 2025
INSIDE
Park district soccer field, main playground to see updates
What’s the future of the Altenheim property?
Feedback sought from residents on renovations, which could start by next fall
At a special meeting, Forest Park Village Council discusses a bike path, land swap and potential uses of the village-owned property – but makes few decisions
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
The Park District of Forest Park is planning renovations to its soccer field, playground and surrounding areas within the main park on Harrison Street. On Aug. 26, the park district held a community public input meeting with Hitchcock Design Group — the firm that, in recent years, designed the Popelka, Remembrance and Rieger pocket parks. At the meeting, about a dozen residents voted on preferred features by placing stickers on the design elements that they liked. The main playground was last updated around 2013, though the park district has replaced some of its equipment since. Jackie Iovinelli, the park’s executive director, said the main playground has seen more wear-and-tear than any of the park district’s pocket parks because
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
In 2001, the village of Forest Park bought 11 acres of land surrounding the Altenheim senior housing building at 7824 Madison St. for $3.6 million. Since then, there have been 20-some years of conversations about what to do with the villageowned portion of the property. Village commissioners, staff and dozens of residents once again discussed its future uses at a special meeting on Aug. 25. Decisions are not JESSICA MORDACQ
See PLAYGROUND on page 4
UPGRADE: The main playground in The Park was last improved in 2013.
See ALTENHEIM on page 8
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