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The Village of Bourbonnais has announced the next stage in its Riverfront Park Master Planning process. An open house workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, October 1, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Bourbonnais Municipal Center’s Community Room, located at 700 Main St. NW. The event is open to all residents without registration.
Attendees will be able to learn about the recent expansion of Riverfront Park, review feedback collected during earlier community engagement, and share their own ideas for the park’s future development.
In 2024, Bourbonnais began gathering input for improvements to the 10.7-acre park at 1200 Canterbury Lane along the Kankakee River. This effort was supported by a $110,000 grant secured by Senator Patrick Joyce. The planning initiative is part of the Imagine Bourbonnais community visioning program and aims to update one of the village’s primary parks after two decades with few changes.
Planning activities were temporarily paused after a donation from the Johnston family added 6.5 acres of riverfront land to the park.
“We appreciate our residents’ patience while we completed the legal process to acquire this incredible addition,” said Bourbonnais Mayor Jeff Keast. “Now, with even more space to imagine, I look forward to hearing from our community about how we can make the most of this unique and scenic resource.”
Kimley-Horn and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in engineering and design that previously worked on Bourbonnais’s Wayfinding Signage Program, is leading the master planning effort.
Riverfront Park is one of 22 parks maintained by Bourbonnais and one of only two situated along the Kankakee River. Current amenities include benches, biking and walking trails, fitness equipment, fishing access, frisbee golf facilities, a historic pavilion, seasonal restrooms, and a Little Free Library.
