MUCH IMPROVED

By LUKE TAYLOR

ltaylor@news-gazette.com

CHAMPAIGN — This summer isn’t the first chance for residents to enjoy the fruits of investments in Garden Hills, but the colorful new playground overlooking a shimmering waterfront is a striking symbol of the neighborhood’s evolution.

The multiyear project nears its completion, with upcoming ribbon-cuttings to celebrate the official opening of both Hedge Park and Garden Hills Park.

Local families aren’t wasting any sunny days waiting around for “official,” though.

“It gives our kids something to do instead of just running around in the streets doing the opposite of what should be imposed,” said Marcus Johnson, who brought his 7-year-old son Xiomar out to Hedge Park to enjoy the playground.

“It gives them activities from soccer to basketball, a place to take out their energy and play on the swings and all this, and a way to get everybody together to engage.”

Johnson said he moved to the neighborhood recently and stopped over because his son was bored and he wanted to see about engaging with the community.

His method for doing so was providing popsicles out of a cooler to the other folks out at the playground on a hot day.

As a volunteer with local organization DREAAM, Driven to Reach Excellence and Academic Achievement for Males, Johnson said he wants to connect with youth and the community where he can.

Please see GARDEN HILLS, A-10

Workout machines have been installed at the revamped Hedge Park in Champaign overlooking the stormwater-detention basin

Marcus Johnson and his son Xiomar Johnson, 7, enjoy popsicles at Champaign’s Hedge Park on a hot summer Tuesday afternoon.

Rob Le Cates photos/The News-Gazette

Continued from A-1

He’s happy to see improvement in the Garden Hills area, and Xiomar was certainly happy with both playground and popsicles.

“Even though it might have a bad reputation, things can always change if you just put your hand forward and do something first,” Johnson said. “If you help and step up first, then it will go further.”

Blair Aal and Mariah Hurd likewise brought their children out to Hedge Park despite not living in the Garden Hills neighborhood itself.

Aal said all the kids seemed to be enjoying it, just from watching them try out the various playground equipment.

“It’s a beautiful sunny day with a nice view of the water, the park looks very colorful — I figure the kids like it,” he said.

While there are other parks around town the family enjoys, they said there aren’t many like this one.

“It’s been in the works a while, but I’m glad they made it finally, especially in this area, because there’s nothing here to do,” Aal said.

Hurd said the family had driven by a few days previously and spotted how nice the park looked, leading to deciding to pay a visit.

Clearly, the park is open and available for residents to enjoy already, but Champaign Park District Director Sarah Sandquist said there will be a celebratory ribbon cutting from the city on July 27. After that, she said, the park district will take over control of Hedge Park.

Garden Hills Park, next to Centennial High School, has also recently had a new playground installed and will have a ribbon cutting on Aug. 13.

Assistant City Engineer Alex Nagy said that the entire Garden Hills revitalization project is set to be complete by spring of 2027.

In the last five years, the city of Champaign has put around $2 million worth of improvements in the neighborhood, from new street lighting to work on the storm sewers to a detention basin to Hedge Park.

Phase three, the only remaining phase of the project, is well underway and includes infrastructure, piping and street work.

The remaining work expected to spill into next year, Nagy said, will be touch-ups including landscaping and yard restoration.

The bulk of the work is nearly complete.

“Garden Hills has been a very much needed project, and we’re very pleased to have it done at this point, and happy for the neighborhood,” Nagy said. “It’s kind of a success story, I think. The fact that everybody seems happy with it, as a city, we’re very pleased with that.”

Construction is coming to a close at the Garden hills academy playground in Champaign.

Rob Le Cates/ The News-Gazette