Villa Park commission to seek names, community vote for new natural-area park; conservation groups offer partnership

Village President Kevin Patrick urged the Garden Village Commission to help name and shape a newly designated natural-area park just west of the Sugar Creek Golf Course, saying, “You get to help name that park,” and promising a community survey once the commission delivers a short list of names.

Why it matters: Commissioners were told the site includes creek frontage and underutilized open space well-suited for native-plantings, bioswale-style water management and visible, small-scale pilot projects that can build momentum for larger restoration efforts. Partnerships with regional nonprofits could strengthen grant applications and provide technical support.

Kevin Patrick described the location as “right off of South Villa Avenue and East Julia Drive,” and said the commission should assemble a handful of name suggestions to forward to the village for a community vote. He framed naming as the first step before design, signage and public outreach.

At a later presentation, Jim of the Conservation Foundation and Bruce Blake of the DuPage Monarch Project outlined concrete ways they can assist the village. Jim said adding those nonprofit partners “to these grants can help with that,” and said the organizations can help with low-cost starter projects, community education and long-range grant work. He also cautioned that larger restoration grants and permitting for a major park build-out are generally multiyear efforts — “3 to 5 years,” he said — while smaller, visible projects can be implemented much sooner.

Commissioners and presenters identified several near-term, high-visibility actions: installing small butterfly gardens at bus stops, placing demonstration plantings near community garden plots, bulk rain-barrel orders with staged pickup and a public-education series to explain benefits and maintenance responsibilities. Presenters offered to provide vendor contacts, volunteer coordination guidance and sample grant materials.

Resident Mark Paulson, who spoke during public comment, urged the commission to prioritize Rotary Park as a large restoration opportunity, calling it “the blankest of all blank canvases” and offering to collaborate on grant-ready materials.

Next steps: Commissioners agreed to circulate name ideas by email, assemble a recommended short list for the village to post for a community survey, and pursue early pilot projects and partnership agreements with the Conservation Foundation and DuPage Monarch Project. Larger grant-driven elements of the project will be scoped over the coming years.