With a snap of the oversized scissors, the ribbon was cut on the new facilities at Knoch Park.
A Collaborative Project
The Naperville Park District and School District 203 worked together to renovate and bring plenty of new elements to the park.
“We started working with them and collaborated and we came out with a partnership that has worked out very, very well,” said Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners President Mike Reilly. “So there’s a wonderful softball field facility and we’ve got a great synthetic turf field. We’ve got pickleball courts, which is the fastest growing sport in the Naperville Park District system. So it’s come out very, very well and it also came in significantly under budget.”
Softball Field Improvements
In 2018, parents brought the state of the softball field to the district’s attention, saying the quality of the field was far worse than the boys’ baseball field.
The new Knoch Park diamond has new dugouts, grass, and dirt, as well as a new press box.
“If you just look at the field, you’ll see what a quality field it is. Compared to what they had before, this is a significant improvement,” said Reilly.
Turf Fields
The turf athletic fields are also equipped with stadium lights for night games.
Reilly said the Knoch Park project also accomplishes the board’s goal of bringing turf fields to the center of town. Nike Sports Complex has them in the north, and Commissioner’s Park has them in the south.
The renovations are complete with a circle drive coming off a small parking lot on Martin Avenue, which is designed for easy pickup and dropoff from practices and games.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
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