Donated Playground Equipment Brightens Illinois Town's Future

ALSIP, IL -- A tiny town on the western Illinois prairie will benefit from the Alsip Park District’s generosity with a donation of the playground equipment from Apollo Park. The existing equipment at Apollo is being removed to make way for the new rocket-themed playground that will be installed in the spring. Plainville, IL, located about 130 miles northwest of St. Louis, Mo., is set to receive the repurposed equipment.

When it became apparent that the playground equipment at Apollo Park could no longer accommodate the dramatic increase in users, the park district asked for residents’ input into a new playground for Apollo. Residents overwhelming wanted to see a return of the rocket-ship-themed playground. Residents also wanted the playground to be more inclusive and accessible for children with physical needs. The new equipment includes pieces that will allow kids in wheelchairs to play alongside their peers from the community.

“We’re bringing back that history,” Alsip Park District director Jeannette Huber said. “We held an ice cream social last summer and asked residents for their ideas about the playground at Apollo. They wanted us to bring back the rocket ships they remembered from growing up in Alsip.”

>>> Buy A Commemorative Brick for Apollo Park Renovation

The question was what to do with the old playground equipment, which is still in good shape. An Alsip park board member happened to come across an appeal on on the Illinois Association of Park Districts’ Facebook page. A former staff member was asking for used playground equipment for Plainville.

The Apollo equipment has outlived its usefulness,” Huber said. “It’s still safe but they [Plainville] have nothing.”

According to the last census, Plainville has a population of 264, “but our sign says 250,” Chuck Epley said, mayor of the small farming community in the Quincy, Ill. and Hannibal, Mo. metro area.

“These little towns are either going forward or backwards. We were lukewarm,” Epley added. “I want to see things go forward. We got a good board that is willing to help. We’ve added a backup generator for water and the town hall, so we have a warming and cooling center if the power goes out.”

Plainville has a park that houses the Adams County youth baseball league. Last summer, the baseball association raised money to rebuild the dugouts and add a restroom. There are also tennis courts that Plainville village trustees want to convert to a pickleball court, a popular pastime in the Quincy area. The baseball diamond is too small to host college tournaments, but there is a lawn mower tractor pull tournament in the summer. Epley admits that the park could be fuller.

“There’s not a lot in it,” Epley said. “Our playground set is real small, the kind you’d see in someone’s backyard. We have some playground equipment that has some teeter-totters and swings that are in bad shape. The merry-go-round is about 80 years old.”

Epley says he didn’t seek out the village president’s job. There were times when the village didn’t have enough board members to have a meeting. Epley hopes the addition of the playground equipment will enhance the park and improve local property values.

“I just feel if you have a park where the community can gather, more people will stay,” Epley said.

Other improvements are in store for Apollo Park, including some overdue repairs to driveways leading into the recreation center. A crosswalk is also being added from the seating area between the flagpole and electronic marquee, allowing for safe passage from the recreation center building to the playground. The entire Apollo renovation project is costing the Alsip Park District around $500,000. So far bids have come in under budget, Huber says.

The Alsip Park District has also established a brick fundraising program, where residents and businesses can purchase bricks to honor loved ones or promote their businesses in the seating area. The bricks will be part of the permanent installation. Proceeds from the brick sales will go toward the Apollo renovation.

Cover Photo: Plainville Mayor Chuck Epley and Alsip Park Director Jeanette Huber | Alsip Park District