JERSEYVILLE – The City of Jerseyville has ambitious plans for its parks, both in the works and on its wish list.
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Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Hermans and other city officials announced several ongoing and possible future park improvement projects at a “workshop” meeting held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. No formal action was taken at the meeting, which was for discussion purposes only.
Changes Made, Coming To Wock Lake
Highlighted during the meeting were the upgrades made to Wock Lake in recent years, including the replacement of a pedestrian bridge along the walking path that circles the site. However, Hermans noted the narrow strip of land bending toward the center of the lake is now becoming unsafe for visitors.
“The horseshoe landmass there in the middle used to be wide enough to get out there and mow and maintain, but … it’s too narrow to maintain safely,” he said. “The water’s starting to undercut the banks, so people could fall either through or in the water.”
Hermans added that since the mouth of the lake has silted in over time, his department’s plan is to long-arm excavate the horseshoe landmass and replace it with a rock dam. Not only will this eliminate the public safety hazard posed by the narrow land strip, it will also make maintenance easier for city crews to accomplish with their current equipment.
Fixes Needed For Donor Pool
Hermans also said that after 25 years of operation, the Donor Pool at Dolan Park will soon need repairs.
The most urgent issue he reported was that the main pool is starting to lose water. While a temporary fix has resolved the problem for now, he said multiple valves will eventually need replaced as a more permanent solution. The surface and liner of the main pool will also need replaced, as will the water-feeding lines running to the water features in the kiddie pool.
He added that a feasibility study into these repairs, which began in August 2024, is still ongoing. His department is looking into applying for an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant to cover the repair costs.
Rotary Park Upgrades For Pedestrians, Pavilions
It will soon be safer to cross the street to and from Rotary Park and McCarry’s Dairyland.
Pending permits, easements and more from the Illinois Department of Transportation, a few pedestrian-centric upgrades are coming to the small triangular park at the corners of West Carpenter, West Prarie, and South Liberty Streets.
Among the improvements are “high-visibility” crosswalks with pedestrian push-buttons, crossing signals, and ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the park’s southeast corner.
Also planned are two areas with new playground equipment, upgraded roofing and lighting for both pavilions, and safety fencing around the park perimeter to reduce the risk of visitors walking into nearby traffic.
Downtown “Mini-Park” Paused Pending Grant Funds
An unused patch of grass in downtown Jerseyville will remain that way for now as the city awaits grant funds to fuel its revitalization. The section of empty greenspace at the corner of West Arch and State Street has been reimagined as a miniature park, termed “Liberty Mini Park.”
The new park would feature a small corner stage, concrete picnic tables, and a community art display showcasing a rotating selection of local creative works along a newly constructed fence. The current City Center sign at the opposite corner from the stage may be converted into an LED informational sign highlighting community events.
The city applied for a $1.95 million grant under the Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets program from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in July of 2024, but their application has not yet been approved.
Other Future Park Plans
One of the “wish list” items Hermans discussed as a potential future park project was a “mini-pitch” soccer court near the soon-to-be-built splash pad and bathhouse in Wittman Park.
He said the Jersey Community High School soccer program has been spiking in popularity lately, bringing 25 to 35 teams to regularly compete at Dolan Park. By bringing a new soccer facility much closer to the high school at Wittman Park, he said the mini-pitch court could be used for everything from Physical Education classes to soccer tournaments.
To attract an even larger array of soccer players and spectators alike, another one of Herman’s “wish list” items would be the “Blackorby Athletic Complex,” complete with a large turf soccer field and plenty of on-site parking. The massive complex would be bordered by East Carpenter Street to the north, June Street to the east, and East Franklin Avenue to the south.
Hermans compared the facility and its potential as a driver of sports tourism to that of Glazebrook Park in Godfrey, where he said some Jerseyville athletes go in the city’s absence of an all-season field. He added that sponsorships from local businesses could help cover the cost of day-to-day maintenance around the complex.
The parks director also noted public requests for playground equipment at the Wock Lake and some type of project, potentially a dog park, at Northmoor Park. Plans for these two projects and potential funding sources have yet to be worked out in detail.
See more coverage of park upgrades and other capital improvement projects around the city of Jerseyville on Riverbender.com.
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