Orland Park officials have approved the installation of artificial turf soccer and football fields at the village’s Schussler Park, one of four village parks in line for significant upgrades.
The 21-acre Schussler Park, 14609 Poplar Road, has baseball and soccer fields along with a playground, tennis courts and sledding hill.
The new fields, being installed at a cost of $1.2 million, are expected to be completed before the end of the year.
The Village Board approved a contract with FieldTurf, which will install the Vertex Prime fields.
Measuring nearly 200,000 square feet, the fields will be side by side along the east edge of the park near 88th Avenue.
An initial phase of work at Schussler calls for new field lighting as well as bleachers and a press box on the west side of the fields, according to the village.
The last renovations to the park were completed in 1996, according to the village. In 2021, the village hired a consultant to come up with redevelopment plans for Schussler along with Centennial Park, Centennial Park West and the John Humphrey Complex.
The consultant, Wight & Co., conducted community meetings and surveys and presented master development plans to the village for the parks, with Orland Park earmarking millions of dollars for park improvements in the coming years.
At Schussler, a future phase calls for amenities including restrooms, new playground equipment, half-court basketball court and a picnic pavilion, according to the village.
FieldTurf, according to the company, has also installed artificial turf fields at schools including Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights and Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox.
Orland Park officials said that, with proper maintenance, the Schussler fields could last about a dozen years before needing to be replaced.
mnolan@tribpub.com
