Karban Dog Park

Berwyn Park dog owners have requested that the Berwyn Park District designate a permanent off-leash dog area within its park system. These types of areas provide the opportunity for unstructured play and specific forms of dog training. They also allow for a form of interaction between dogs and owners/handlers that is not possible when dogs remain leashed; e.g., “off-lead” training or tracking, playing Frisbee or “fetch”, and socializing with other dogs. The current Park District ordinance does not allow dogs in any park, so the ordinance will be amended to allow dogs into permitted areas only.

As the Park District developed a Strategic Plan, a community survey response showed an interest by local residents to create a dog friendly recreational area. With the acquisition of Karban Park in 2010 and the subsequent petition drive presented to the Board of Commissioners by residents in 2012, the Karban Park site has been designated and is being constructed for use as Berwyn’s first off leash dog park area.

See the photos here

Construction Projects
BPD has two current construction projects. First the parking lot improvements at Liberty Cultural Center began on September 26 and should be completed by the end of October. See the photos here.

The east lot will be completed first in an effort to provide parking for persons with disabilities or mobility issues. General Parking will be limited to the street for classes during the construction.

The west lot which will feature permeable pavers as part of a green infrastructure project designed to reduce storm water runoff into the city sewer system will begin shortly after the east lot begins.

Second, the Proksa Park Water and Drainange Improvement Project is scheduled to begin on or about October 1, 2012.

As part of this project, areas and pathways of the park may be closed to the public for safety and work related purposes. The District apologies in advance for any inconvenience that may occur to park users and joggers.

This project will increase the storm water holding capability within Proksa Park with the installation of an underground storm water detention system and a infiltration trench. While the capacity of storm water will increase, the project is designed to help alleviate and prevent standing water in the ball field and central areas of the park. The project is a green infrastructure cooperative effort between the Berwyn Park District, the City of Berwyn, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Great Chicago and is funded through the Berwyn Park District, the City of Berwyn, and the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development.