Joshua Park
JOSHUA PARK EVOLUTION!
Joshua Park is the Coloma Township Park District's most recent Capital Development Project and is scheduled to be completed this fall. The "denouement" of Joshua Park located at A street and Riverdale Road just off of Route 30 behind Long Shot Restaurant will service residents in the Riverdale School area the most. construction on the site began in late Summer of 2010 and was ongoing throughout the Fall. Items featured currently at the site include a Family Picnic Shelter with electricity, Half Court Basketball Court, restrooms with a drain field, a drilled water well, and a Handicapped Stripped/Accessible Parking Lot. Items scheduled to be completed this year include construction of a practice baseball diamond with chain link fence, installation of an 18 hold Frisbee golf course, installation of a childrens playground area and decorative security lighting throughout the site. Final grading of the site, grass seeding and other landscaping will also be completed this Fall. Hard surfacing of the Parking Lot was one of the last items to be completed according to the Park Board President, John Sigel due to the road rock base needing to settle over the Winter. The acquisition of the site in 1992 and its subsequent development has taken a long time in coming. The Park District acquired the 5 acre site thru a donation of Arlyn and Rita Lawrence of Rock Falls. The Park District was able to clean up the site and mow it, but not develop it with the Park District's limited funds. In 2010 the Park District was able to secure an "Open Space Land Acquisition and Development" Grant thru the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. According to Mr. Sigel it took 3 years (3 grant cycles) to finally secure the funds. Mr. Sigel said, "When Joshua Park is finally completed, the community will have another beautiful facility for all of us to enjoy."
