Current Projects

Bevier Pond Sediment Removal Project

The Waukegan Park District is undertaking a sediment removal project at the Bevier Pond, located at 2255 W. York House Road in Bevier Park. Sediment accumulation in the pond has led to a decrease in water depth, poor water quality, and disrupted habitats. To address this, the sediment will be vacuumed by scuba divers and pumped underneath McAree Road into Henry Pfau Callahan Park, located 2785 W. York House Road, where it will be stored and dried to be used as topsoil for a future pollinator prairie.

The project is planned for completion in fall 2024. In the interest of minimizing disruptions to park users, Bevier Park and Henry Pfau Callahan Park will remain open during the project. Future projects will include bank stabilization for the pond and northern stream to limit future erosion and sediment accumulation.

Learn More with the Infographic

Additional Resources

A Brief History of Powell Park & Bevier Park

Information on Pollinator Prairies

Open Houses

Join Waukegan Park District staff for the following educational open houses to learn more about the ongoing project (dates/time subject to change). Meet just outside the Bevier Nature Center:

August 12, 2024 | 5pm – 6:30pm

September 16, 2024 | 5pm – 6:30pm

Bevier Park

The Waukegan Park District was awarded a $400,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant from the State of Illinois to assist in the renovation of Bevier Park, located at 2255 York House Road. Bevier Park is being transformed with a new nature-themed playground, a discovery dock, and an accessible kayak and canoe launch. In addition, the baseball field will be enhanced with new backstops, bleachers, and dugouts, the basketball courts will be resurfaced, and the disc golf course will be improved.

Powell Park

Powell Park was improved with a new playground! Located at 533 Grand Avenue, Powell Park now features playground structures for different age ranges and the Waukegan Park District’s very first Drop Zone Tower™. Children will be able to step onto the platform to safely “drop” down to the ground, where kids will jump off and watch it rise to its original “zone.”

Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie

With an expected completion in early 2024, the Waukegan Park District and the Waukegan Historical Society have been working together on the restoration and adaptive reuse of the former Carnegie Library to become the future Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie with expanded history programming, archives, collections, exhibits, classrooms, and a research library. 

Designated as a Waukegan Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Carnegie Library opened in 1903 with a donation from Andrew Carnegie, a steel magnate and philanthropist who commissioned the construction of 2,509 libraries.