An existing parking lot at the Knoch Park Central Maintenance Facility will be expanded to accommodate an extra 36 spaces, bringing the total to 82. The added parking spaces will not be available for students or staff of Naperville Central to use during the school day.
Knoch Park is shared between the Naperville Park District and District 203 as a result of an intergovernmental agreement signed in 2019. In exchange for sharing the price of infrastructure improvements, they jointly use the property. The amendment to the intergovernmental agreement necessary for the construction was passed at the Nov. 13 District 203 Board of Education meeting.
“[The project] will not start until sometime in the summer [of 2024] after school is out,” said Michael Frances, Chief Financial Officer of District 203.
The expansion will take place directly south of the varsity softball field, forcing the softball batting cages to be relocated to the western edge of the field. Protective netting around the field will also be extended.
“I know that they’re going to put up [more] netting because [the field] will still be relatively close to where the parking is and they don’t want any balls hitting cars,” said Carrie McFadden, Assistant Principal for Operations.
The construction is set to begin in the summer of 2024, avoiding conflicts with the softball season.
District 203 will contribute up to 43% of the total project costs, to an amount not exceeding $450,000. The Naperville Park District will pay for the rest.
