Riverfront Foundation Working To Create Awareness Of Riverfront As Recreation, Economic Driver
By Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
news@enterprisepublications.com
@PlainfieldNews
Turning the riverfront into a recreation destination is the number one goal for the non-profit Plainfield Riverfront Foundation.
“We call Plainfield the oldest community in Will County; it was one of the first settled in Will County,” said Robert Epley, executive director of the foundation. “We work together and allow the public to come out and understand the history of Plainfield.”
The Riverfront Foundation was formed back in 2009 to raise funds to revitalize the riverfront, as part of Plainfield’s 2007 master plan. The land along the river is owned by the village.
Epley said that so far, the foundation has been able to raise just shy of $500,000 for redevelopment of the riverfront.
The latest project – a lighting project to light the pathway so it is more safe and secure along the river.
“We’re working closely with the Plainfield Park District,” Epley said. “They’ve been fortunate to go out and get some grant funding to extend the DuPage River Trail. They’ve been great leaders in extending that pathway, which comes down the property here from Lockport Street.”
The foundation has been able to contribute cash to the trail project, helping to cover a shortfall in the grant funds.
Up next, the foundation will work on a brick legacy program and continue the effort to market Plainfield’s waterway.
“We’re looking to create a destination, create awareness of the riverfront, revitalizing the riverfront,” Epley said. “You look at these other communities that have rivers running through them, and they’re economic drivers. Because not only are they a recreational driver, but after you recreate, hopefully you go to the downtown and shop in one of the shops or get food in one of the restaurants.”
Use of the riverfront’s 50-plus acres as recreational land dates back to the early 1900s. The park served as “Electric Park” for several decades. There electric trains brought visitors to Plainfield as a recreation and camping destination. That site hosted an entertainment center and roller skating rink. The building that housed the rink was destroyed by the 1990 tornado.
The current Riverfront Foundation building and educational center was once the lab building for the village’s wastewater treatment plant. The foundation gutted that building, adding public bathrooms, a patio and a concession stand.
The education center was unveiled earlier this year, and is open the first Saturday of every month.
Inside, visitors can trace the history of the DuPage River from the time when Native Americans occupied the land, until today.
The Riverfront Foundation also operates the annual Plainfield Fest.
“We’ve turned that into an event where we bring 12,000 to 15,000 people here on that weekend,” Epley said.
He added that there is talk about possibly moving the festival to the riverfront, as the current event has nearly outgrown its downtown location. Epley said there are many plans under consideration to accommodate the growing festival. One consideration, he said, is the soft nature of the riverfront and how safely carnival rides could operate on that surface.
“We’ve seen great strides; we’ve gotten the downtown to support us tremendously,” Epley said. “But at the same time, [we’re] realizing that we’re constrained to space.
Epley said the foundation is successful thus far thanks to support from village leaders and their plan to keep the riverfront development an important part of the master plan.
“We’re fortunate to have a great relationship with the village of Plainfield,” Epley said. “We look forward to continuing to work together.”