Two area lawmakers recently announced a round of grants that will go to area park districts and local school districts. On Jan. 17, state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (8th), whose district spans parts of Oak Park, announced that the Park District of Oak Park will receive a $400,000 grant for Carroll Park and Rehm Park.
The grant is part of the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant program, which is designed to help local governments fund public outdoor recreation projects. The OSLAD program “provides an advanced payment (for development projects only) that is 50 percent of the grant award amount shortly after the grant agreement is executed,” Ford’s office explained in a statement.
School library grants
In a statement released Jan. 15, state Sen. Kimberly Lightford (4th), who represents a portion of Oak Park, announced that the Illinois Secretary of State’s Illinois State Library program will issue more than $16,000 in grants for the purpose of helping public schools offer more library books and materials to students, Lightford’s office explained.
River Forest School District 90 will get $1,073.
Michael Romain
