A former Illinois elementary school closed in 2014; its site has now become a $1.35 million fully accessible park with an inclusive playground, walking paths and a new splash pad

On August 26 at 11:30, roughly 75 people gathered at Cooke Park for the official ribbon-cutting, capping a years-long transformation of the former Cooke Elementary School property into a fully accessible neighbourhood park. The ceremony, conducted by the Galesburg Area Chamber of Commerce, took place with the new splash pad running behind the crowd, water spraying and a light mist drifting over the gathering. The $1.352 million project includes an inclusive playground, a picnic shelter, restrooms, a bicycle repair station, walking paths and a parking area, along with the splash pad that was completed this month, according to WGIL.com.In attendance were state legislators, Mayor Peter Schwartzman, four City Council members, city officials and members of the public. Among those giving remarks were Mayor Schwartzman, Ward 4 Alderman Dwight White, whose ward includes the park, State Senator Mike Halpin, State Representative Dan Swanson, and Director of Parks and Recreation Don Miles. Several people who helped lead the push for the park also spoke, including Gayla Pacheco, Karen Ford-Kelley and Stephanie Jackson Grimes. Schwartzman, who has served as mayor for a little over five years, called the ceremony one of the proudest moments of his time in office.“This is a testament to good government, when all different levels of government, from state to local, and then the local community, work together and partner on a project that will have meaning not only immediately, but in the distant future,” Schwartzman said. “There are hundreds of people who played a role in making this happen. I thank you all, and may this park last another hundred years,” he added.

A former school

For several people at Wednesday’s ceremony, the site carried much more significance and history. Cooke Elementary School operated on the property for decades before closing in 2014, and a handful of attendees who grew up nearby shared memories from their own school days there.White attended Cooke School from second through sixth grade. He said he still carries a scar from his time on the playground. “I scarred my leg over here chasing a boy ’cause I liked the girl,” White said. “It’s just so many great memories. Baseball out here, I tried out for Little League over here. It was just a place for the community.”White said he hopes the new park will do for the whole city what the old school grounds once did for his neighbourhood. “There’ll be some people over here that came from the north side of town, and they’re gonna meet some kid from the south side of town, and they don’t know where they’re from, and they’re gonna become friends,” White said. “That’s what this is gonna do, I hope.”Margaret Gimenez, who attended Cooke School in the 1940s, said she and a friend, Darlene Howard, were the first girls to serve as patrol guards at the school after she asked the principal why only boys held the role. “I said, ‘How come you don’t have girl patrol boys?’” Gimenez said. “She says, ‘You want to be one?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’”Gimenez said the school grounds had none of the equipment found at the new park. “We didn’t have swings or nothing. We had a monkey bar,” Gimenez said. “I’m so happy that (Pacheco) took the initiative to do this, and I know it was hard work. I’m proud of her.”The city purchased the former school property in December 2022 to create a neighbourhood park that is accessible, inclusive and welcoming to all residents. The site was chosen after strong public support for more recreational amenities on Galesburg’s southwest side.

A new playground

Pacheco, a Galesburg native who grew up near the school, is widely credited with spearheading the push to build the park. She said the idea grew out of conversations during the Heart & Soul community planning process around 2021 and 2022.“The thing that people were asking for was free things to do,” Pacheco said. She began working with the city around 2022 to explore turning the vacant site into a park, using a $500,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), matched by the City of Galesburg. The addition of the splash pad was made possible through a $250,000 Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant secured with support from State Senator Mike Halpin and private donations raised by the citizen-led Cooke Park Project group.Pacheco said her favourite feature is the new splash pad. “I really love those butterflies,” she said. “It reminds me of art.” Reflecting on the years of work behind the project, Pacheco credited the people around her. “It takes a village,” Pacheco said. “If you have really good family and friends, I think you can get anything done.”“We are extremely grateful to the State of Illinois, IDNR, Senator Halpin and the dedicated members of the Cooke Park project group whose advocacy and fundraising brought this project to life,” said Eric Hanson, City Manager. “Seeing children and families already enjoying the playground—and now the new splash pad—is a testament to what our community can achieve together.”