Parks/Forestry & Recreation
PARKS
A Little Aloha Comes to Evanston
Hawaiian artist Johnnie "Keoni" Durant spent his summer vacation visiting friends and carving an elaborate tiki in Centennial Park. The tiki was given to the City on September 12 at a ceremony in Dawes Park.
Durant is well-known for his traditional Hawaiian sculpture and jewelry. A tiki is a large wood (or stone) carving that embodies the human figure. Durant's creation stands approximately eight feet tall. It was carved from white oak, the Illinois state tree, and took approximately a month to complete.
The artist named the sculpture “’Ohana,” which means “family” (and community) in Hawaiian. This tiki represents the spirit of sportsmanship and recreation, and will watch over families and the community as they engage in such activities. To pay tribute to the residents of Evanston and the City’s commitment to their health and well-being, the artist incorporated the city logo into the design (see photo at right).
The oak was 107 years old and had been located on the periphery of the Council Ring located on the grounds of the Evanston Art Center, 2603 Sheridan Road. The grounds were designed by noted landscape architect Jens Jensen. The oak became a potential hazard due to its declining health and was removed. The final indoor location for the completed sculpture has yet to be determined.
Lawson Park/Noah’s Playground for Everyone was dedicated in July 2008. Noah’s Playground for Everyone is a fully accessible playground located within Lawson Park, Sheridan Road at Clinton Place (just north of the Lighthouse Beach entrance).
Funding for this project came from over $400,000 in private donations in memory of Noah Cutter and from the City of Evanston's Capital Improvement Program. More information is available at www.noahsplayground.org.
Fall 2009 Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Update
Park Hours: Playgrounds and/or Tot Lots: 8am - 9pm daily;
All other parks unless otherwised designated: 6am - 11pm daily
Information about the Lightning Detection System in Robert Crown Park and James Park
Park Path Distances:
Beck – 0.2 miles |
Butler – 0.5 miles |
Twiggs – 0.4 miles |
Lovelace – 0.5 miles |
James – 0.75 miles |
Harbert – 0.5 miles |
Lakefront (Lee to Clark) – 1.0 miles McCormick(Emerson to Green Bay) - .89 miles |
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The City of Evanston's Parks Division provides the horticultural maintenance of all public grounds within the City. Over 300 acres of land, encompassing 97 sites, are maintained by employees assigned to this business unit. These sites include 76 parks, 50 playgrounds, nine roadside plantings, the grounds of eight public buildings, and four civic beautification plantings.
The major components of horticulture maintenance are lawn care, small tree, shrub and ground cover care, perennial
bed maintenance, weed control, and the pickup of more than 400 refuse containers from all park properties.
Employees assigned to this unit also assist in citywide snow removal and recreation facility maintenance when necessary. Additionally, employees maintain the equipment used for the upkeep of the grounds, and make repairs to all the different site furnishings such as playground equipment, picnic tables, park benches, and fencing. Employees also oversee landscape and irrigation system maintenance contracts.
PARKS/FORESTRY & REC 
Parks