Lisle, IL – On Saturday, September 11, the Lisle Park District will officially open the Lisle Community Park Boat Launch for public use with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00am. All are welcome to celebrate the Lisle Park District's new public boat launch intended for use of personal, non-motorized boats or floating vessels, such as kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. The boat launch is in Lisle Community Park just south of Short Street and west of the Short Street bridge and accessible from the parking lot located near ball field #1 at 1825 Short Street in Lisle.

The Lisle Park District will be handing out giveaways at the ribbon cutting ceremony, including safety whistles, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will be on-site offering free vessel safety checks and distributing boating safety resources. With a generous $15,000 contribution from the Lisle Partners for Parks Foundation and a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) through the Boat Access Area Development (BAAD) program, construction of the boat launch was completed last month in August, although the project was first presented for consideration over 14 years ago.

In 2007, the Lisle Park District began considering a boat launch in Community Park in response to a request from Openlands, the Illinois Paddling Council, and IDNR to construct the first public launch on the DuPage River in the county. Although grant applications were submitted in 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2014, project grant assistance through the BAAD program for 80% of the projected $100,000 construction cost was not approved until 2015. However, notice was issued that funding was not secure and ultimately was not released, which left the project in limbo.

In 2018, the Lisle Park District was notified by the IDNR that the State of Illinois would release the 2015 grant awards. The Lisle Park District allocated $120,000 in 2019's budget to construct the launch but could not proceed until the official agreement was executed. In July of 2019, IDNR presented its final agreement to the Lisle Park District to bid the project for construction. With the lowest bid coming in just under $180,000, the Lisle Park District Board of Park Commissioners tabled the project due to its high cost and agreed to re-bid the project in early 2020 with hopes for a more competitive bidding environment. In February 2020, a bid was accepted by the Board of Park Commissioners just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, with funds secure, the proposed project came to fruition in the summer of 2021.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony on September 11, the Lisle Partners for Parks Foundation will be raffling off two brand new kayaks in celebration of the Lisle Park District's new public boat launch! You can enter the raffle online or by purchasing tickets at the Lisle Recreation Center, open Monday-Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm and located at 1925 Ohio Street in Lisle. To enter the raffle online, visit paypal.me/lisleparksfoundation and send money for the raffle tickets through the Lisle Partners for Parks Foundation's PayPal account. Enter the cost of the raffle tickets you would like to purchase and be sure to insert 'Kayak Raffle' in the notes section. The cost of each raffle ticket is $10. For example, if you would like to purchase 10 raffle tickets, enter $100 and 'Kayak Raffle' in the notes section before completing the transaction. You do not have to be present at the ribbon cutting ceremony to win. For questions concerning the kayak raffle, please contact Mary Liz Jayne at 630-353-4306 or mljayne@lisleparkdistrict.org.

The Lisle Park District plans to design programming around this new recreation opportunity in Lisle Community Park in 2022. Be sure to check the Lisle Park District's Summer 2022 Program Guide for more information when it becomes available in April of next year. In the meantime, visit lisleparkdistrict.org/boatlaunch for official boat launch rules, guidelines, and boating safety resources to ensure you have the right gear to have a safe and fun journey while venturing out on the DuPage River. If you have questions about the ribbon cutting ceremony or boat launch, please contact Lisle Park District's Director of Parks & Recreation, Dan Garvy, at 630-353-4310 or dgarvy@lisleparkdistrit.org.

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The Lisle Park District provides a variety of leisure activities for people of all ages throughout the year. Park district facilities include Lisle Community Park, home to the all-inclusive Discovery Playground and Community Park Public Boat Launch; the Recreation Center, which houses Gentle Learning Preschool, SEASPAR, the Senior Center, and multipurpose rooms; the Community Center, which contains Community Park Fitness and studios for dance and group fitness classes; Sea Lion Aquatic Park; The Museums at Lisle Station Park; River Bend Golf Course and numerous neighborhood playgrounds and park amenities, such as tennis courts, pickleball courts, ball fields, soccer fields, walking paths and picnic areas totaling close to 400 acres. It is the mission of the Lisle Park District to enrich the quality of life for people of all ages by providing constructive and creative leisure opportunities. For more information about the Lisle Park District, visit lisleparkdistrict.org. or call 630-964-3410.