Naperville Park Board OKs contracts to renovate trail, install new Moser Tower lights, Nike playground surface

The Naperville Park Board of Commissioners approved three six-figure projects this week, including contracts to reconstruct the May Watts Park Trail and install a new light system for Moser Tower.

Innovation Landscape will be paid $109,037 to renovate the May Watts trail at 804 S Whispering Hills Drive. The project, expected to start this summer and be mostly completed by fall, will convert limestone screening portions to concrete, replace sidewalk sections, install a drainage line and restore the landscape.

The board also awarded a $108,441 contract to Intelligent Lighting Creations to install a programmable color-changing lighting system at Moser Tower, which contains the Millennium Carillon.

Park district staff has had to manually replace light bulbs and use remote-controlled color-changing bulbs during the 20 or more times a year when local organizations request certain colors to celebrate community events; now it will be able to be done via the web, officials said.

The company, which is expected to complete the project by the end of the year, also does work for the Morton Arboretum's annual Illumination show.

In addition, the board approved a $104,975 contract for Midwest Ecology Services to restore the Brook Crossings shoreline. The project, the second phase of one that began in 2021, will remove undesirable trees and shrubs, place coir roll to minimize erosion, plant native seed and do minor grading for more stable sloping.

The work is expected to start in June and be substantially completed by the fall.

Mary Gibson has been reelected president of the Naperville Park Board. (Naperville Park District/HANDOUT)

In other business...

The board approved a $48,512 contract with Innovation Landscape to replace the surface of the playground at Nike Sports Complex later this summer. The playground will be closed temporarily for the project and details will be posted at napervilleparks.org when the schedule is determined.

The playground was constructed in 2011 with poured-in-place rubberized surfacing, which is now in need of replacement, according to the district. Because the play equipment is not scheduled for replacement until 2026, the district will replace the worn surface with engineered wood fiber and then install new, poured-in-place or synthetic turf surfacing in three years.

Engineered wood fiber costs less than rubberized surfacing and can be reused at another playground, officials said.

The board also voted to reappoint Mary Gibson as its president. Leslie Ruffing will serve as vice president, Sue Stanish as treasurer and Bridget Tuft as secretary.