Amenities at Antioch’s Osmond Sports Complex slowly taking shape

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Updated: April 22, 2012 1:15AM

Restrooms and running water will replace portable toilets this summer at Tim Osmond Sports Complex.

Phase 2, Part C amenities to the park on Depot Street will be funded through a long-awaited OSLAD (Open Space Land Acquisition and Development) grant, said Antioch Township Supervisor Steve Smouse.

The first of four phases of the youth sports facility opened in 2009. So far, improvements at the joint venture between the township and village have been funded by grant money, but the funds have been slow in coming, said Smouse. The second phase had been split into three separate projects spread over the past few years for that reason. “We will finally see the second phase finished this year,” said Smouse.

This is the third of three OSLAD grants used to develop the township’s portion of the park. “This has taken awhile because we don’t like to spend money we don’t have,” said Smouse of the matching grants that reimburse the recipient after projects are completed. “The township is in the black and we want to keep it that way.”

The township owns the northeast 40 acres of 160 acres designated as future park land. High School District 117 owns the northwest 40 acres adjacent to the high school and controls the southwest 40 acres with a long-term lease on former landfill property owned by Waste Management. The village owns the southeast 40 acres.

When the township phase is completed this summer the amenities will include two full-sized football fields, two full-sized baseball fields, a soccer field, bocce and baggo courts, a Frisbee golf course, walking trail, tot lot with playground equipment and picnic shelter. So far, there is parking for 200 cars but as the remaining 120 acres is developed parking capacity will increase. The park also includes two sledding hills, so the park is open all year round, said Smouse.

“We brought in electricity last year and this summer we’ll bring in water and build restrooms, a storage area and future concessions area,” he added.

The only hitch to this summer’s project is obtaining a variance from the village to install holding tanks rather than a sewer line to the municipal treatment plant. “The problem is the park land is lower than surrounding land and would require a lift station that would be costly to maintain and only be used six months out of the year,” said Smouse.

Next month, the Antioch Village Board is expected to act on a request to install holding tanks at the park. The waste will be pumped and transported to the municipal treatment plant. “The waste will end up at the sewer plant for treatment; it is just how it is transported there that is the difference,” said Smouse.

The next step in developing the joint township-village park is to make improvements to the southeast 40 owned by the village. “We want to develop more playing fields and more parking,” said Smouse of the joint venture. “There is a lot on our wish list.”

He pointed out youth sports organizations like Viking Football have installed bleachers, a small concession stand and scoreboards; AYLL Baseball has installed dugouts, backstops and temporary bleachers.

“We provide fields and the organizations install amenities. We are blessed with these organizations and they do all their own fund-raising to improve the fields.”

Fields are available to residents if no games or practices are scheduled.

“It’s worked out real well so far. All these organizations needed was a place to play.”