Public and Legal Notices

The Berwyn Park District is accepting bids from qualified lawn mowing contractors for the 2025 Grass Mowing Services contract. This contract will cover the mowing of turf across various locations throughout the Park District’s park system.

Bid specifications and contract documents will be available starting Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Berwyn Park District Administrative Office, located at 3701 Scoville Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402. Contractors may pick up documents in person during office hours, which are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Additionally, a PDF version of the documents are accessible at the bottom of this article as a PDF.

Bids must be submitted in a sealed opaque envelope labeled with the bidder’s name, the date and time of the bid deadline, and the project title, “Sealed Bid: Berwyn Park District Grass Mowing Project.” Envelopes should be addressed to Berwyn Park District, 3701 Scoville Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402, Attention: Executive Director. The deadline for bid submission is Friday, April 11, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. At that time, bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at the Park District’s Administrative Office.

The Berwyn Park District reserves the right to waive technicalities, accept or reject any or all bids, and select portions of a bid without providing disclosure. Bids should exclude federal excise tax and state sales tax for materials and equipment used in the project. An Exemption Certificate will be provided to the successful bidder upon request.

All bids must be accompanied by a bid bond or bank cashier’s check payable to the Berwyn Park District for 10% of the total bid amount. Bids submitted without the required bond or check will not be considered. The selected contractor must comply with all federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations, including those related to equal employment opportunities.

The Berwyn Park District encourages women- and minority-owned businesses to submit bids and urges all bidders to consider utilizing minority-owned businesses for supplies, equipment, and services.

For more information or to access the official Invitation to Bid document, please access the full PDF below."

The Berwyn Park District is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). This matching grant will fund significant improvements to Proksa Park, enhancing amenities for the entire community to enjoy.

The OSLAD grant, a statewide program designed to support public park and recreation projects, will help the Park District implement key improvements identified through its recently completed Master Plan. This plan, finalized just last month, incorporated input from residents gathered during community meetings. The upcoming renovations will include:

• A new, updated playground
• Picnic shelters for gatherings and events
• Game tables to encourage interactive recreation
• An improved walking path to promote accessibility and enjoyment of the park’s natural beauty
• Additional amenities to enhance the park experience for visitors of all ages

Receiving the OSLAD grant is a tremendous milestone for our community and a reflection of our shared vision for the future of Berwyn. This funding ensures that we can provide updated, inclusive spaces that meet the needs of our residents, thanks to their valuable input during the Master Plan and grant process.

Proksa Park is a beloved cornerstone of the Berwyn community, offering opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and connection with nature. The planned renovations will align with the Park District’s mission to deliver exceptional parks and facilities that enrich the quality of life for all residents.

The OSLAD grant requires a dollar-for-dollar match, resulting in a $1.2 million investment in Proksa Park. This project reaffirms the Berwyn Park District’s commitment to creating spaces that reflect community priorities and provide lasting value.

About the OSLAD Grant The Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) program is a state-financed grant program that provides funding assistance to local government agencies for the acquisition and/or development of land for public outdoor recreation areas. The program is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. For the state's full press release, visit here. 

There are 2 Park District Commissioner positions up for election on the April 1, 2025 Consolidated Election.

Candidate petitions/certificates of nomination will be accepted at the Freedom Park Administration Building, 3701 Scoville Ave, starting November 12th at 9am.

The last day to turn in petitions/ certificates is November 18th by 5pm. Office hours on November 12th, 13th, 14th, are 9am-4pm. Office hours on November 15th is 9am-noon.

The office is closed on Saturday and Sunday. The office hours on November 18th are 9am-5pm.

Berwyn Park District (BPD) currently manages 612 trees throughout its park system. There is also a limited amount of room in the parks for future tree planting, which represents potential for growth of the park district’s urban forest. BPD’s trees were inventoried as part of a project this past year culminating in this Urban Forestry Management Plan, which will detail how these trees will be managed for the benefit of Berwyn Park District and its residents and patrons over the next 10 years, with a focus which begins in 2022, and projects out to 2032.

In terms of the condition of the Urban Forest in BPD, there are both strengths and opportunities for improvement. In terms of strengths, the park district has a smaller tree population to contend with, and has been managing that resource somewhat satisfactorily in the past, however there is work to do in terms of near term maintenance. Once the necessary maintenance is complete, BPD will be able to focus on enhancements rather than remedial action. In terms of opportunities, the diversity level and overall number of species could be higher. This will be examined in further detail below, but diversifying new plantings based on our recommendations is the general recommendation. Also, the current budget being applied towards forestry management should likely be larger. At $8,500 per year, this is enough to fulfill basic needs, even a modest increase in budget would allow BPD to accomplish much more.

In order to enhance the Urban Forestry program so it will create long term benefits to the community while reducing costs, the following Urban Forest Management Plan will address each one of these strengths and opportunities, and create goals and milestones for each. Further detail is given in the body of the Plan, with separate sections detailing specific Urban Forestry activities, and how we propose they are achieved, along with standards and Best Management Practices for each.
An urban forestry program has been created in this Plan which attempts to achieve the greatest benefit for the community, based on the available data we have from the inventory, as well as input from stakeholders and residents of the City of Berwyn. However, all plans are subject to change based on new information, budgets, or other unforeseen circumstances. For this reason, it is asked that readers consider this plan to be an evolving document, and goals and strategies will be updated to fit new circumstances as needed.

This Urban Forestry Management Plan should be reviewed periodically, at which point the park district, and its residents, business owners, and other stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide input and help improve the Plan during those annual reviews. These strategies and goals are not absolute, but rather serve as guideposts to mark the road to success.

Please open the PDF attached at the link below in order to access the entire Urban Tree Management Plan.

The Berwyn Park District Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on its proposed budget 2025 Budget and Appropriation Ordinance, at 4:30pm., Tuesday, November 5, 2024. The meeting will be held at the Freedom Admin Building, located at 3701 Scoville Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois. Public comments can be made at the hearing. The tentative budget is available for public inspection at the Freedom Park Office during normal business hours or online at https://www.berwynparks.org/financial-info Comments can also be submitted via email to Cindy Hayes at chayes@berwnparks.org . Emails will be read during public comments on November 5, 2024.

The Berwyn Park District Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on its proposed budget 2024 Budget and Appropriation Ordinance, at 6:00pm., November 21, 2023. The meeting will be held at the Proksa Park Activity Center, located at 3001 Wisconsin Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois. Public comments can be made at the hearing. The tentative budget is available for public inspection here or at the Freedom Park Office during normal business hours. Prior to the hearing, public comments can be made at our Committee Board Meeting at 4:30pm., Tuesday, November 3, 2023, at the Freedom Administration Building, located at 3701 Scoville Ave, Berwyn, Illinois. Comments can also be submitted via email to Cindy Hayes at chayes@berwnparks.org. Emails will be read during public comments on November 21, 2023.

The Berwyn Park District is partnering with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) on Green Infrastructure Improvements at Proksa Park. New pathways and landscape will be constructed. The area of work will be on the east side of the park just south of the tennis courts. The pathway and the Disc Golf Tee Box #2 will be closed starting Tuesday, December 13, 2022, and last about a week.

The Berwyn Park District Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on its proposed budget 2023 Budget and Appropriation Ordinance, at 6:00pm., Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The meeting will be held at the Freedom Admin. Building, located at 3701 S. Scoville Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois. Public comments can be made at the hearing. The tentative budget is available for public inspection here or at the Freedom Park Office during normal business hours. Public comments can be made at our Regular Board Meeting at 6pm., Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the Proksa Park Activity Center, located at 3001 S. Wisconsin Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois. Comments can also be submitted via email to Cindy Hayes at chayes@berwnparks.org. Emails will be read during public comments on April 4, 2023.