Work at Prospect Park that will include major renovations to the baseball field used by the Clarendon Hills Little League and a few other groups is scheduled to be bid out in February and begin in early August.

All chainlink fencing will be removed from the entire field and replaced with new chainlink fencing, and there also will be a backstop netting system installed behind home plate, said Don Scheltens, executive director of the Clarendon Hills Park District.

Additional planned work includes removal of the outfield and foul area grass. Those areas will then be graded and replanted with sod. There also will be dugout repairs, irrigation adjustments and new plantings along the backside of the new home run fence.

“This is definitely a major renovation that is much needed,” Scheltens said “There really hasn’t been anything major done previously on this field.”

Along with the Clarendon Hills Little League and some Clarendon Hills baseball travel teams, the field is used by the park district’s Fall Ball League and Lady Devils Softball program.

Scheltens said the estimated cost over the renovations is about $435,000. The project budget also has an additional $85,000 included for contingencies that may arise during field work.

All of the funding will come from “Athletic Field Improvements in Prospect Park,” which was one of the categories listed on a 2024 successful $8 million referendum, which passed with 70% support of voters.

The bulk of the referendum funds are being used for a major renovation of the Lions Park Pool.

Scheltens said the planned August start date for work allows the field to be used during the 2026 summer season.

“We predict it will go through November,” he said.

Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/03/clarendon-hills-little-league-field/