Galesburg, Ill. — Galesburg natives Gayla Perez Pacheco and Stephanie Jackson Grimes grew up on the southwest side of the city during the 1950s and ‘60s. Their friendship is long and deep, dating back to kindergarten. Now in their senior years, the two energetic friends are focused on uplifting and revitalizing the neighborhood of their youth.

Summer Fun, Old-School Style

Cooke School, located at 652 W. Second St., closed in 2014. According to Pacheco and Grimes, the land behind the school was long used by neighborhood children.

“Historically, they practiced baseball down there, soccer — or just played and hung out during the summer,” Grimes said.

She remembers a close-knit community where neighbors watched out for one another. “They could look out their kitchen window and see us playing,” she said.

However, if children wanted to cool off in the summer, they had to walk some distance to Cedar Creek, crossing railroad tracks to reach what they called “the cement pond,” a shallow wading pool located behind the city’s waterworks department.

“I don’t know that it was big enough to swim in. It was like a wading pool,” Grimes said.

She also recalled playing slip-and-slide using plastic bags and a garden hose. “They call it ‘economically disadvantaged’ now,” she said of her former neighborhood.

A Vision for a New Park

Grimes, Pacheco, and many neighborhood families had long envisioned a new park with updated playground and water equipment — a space for kids to run, play, and grow.

The two brought the idea to the city near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We approached the city with the idea of a park that would have the same use as the three other medium-sized parks within our city,” Pacheco said. “There wasn’t a medium-sized park on the southwest end. There’s not much down there. It’s a little desolate.”

Securing Grants and Funding

The original estimated cost of the project was $1.5 million. Grimes and Pacheco were undaunted by the price tag and pushed for the park. By 2024, the city of Galesburg applied for and received an Open Space and Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The OSLAD grant will fund $500,000 of the park, and the city will match the other half.

A second grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce will add $250,000 to fund a splash pad and other amenities.

To help close the gap, Pacheco established a fund through the Galesburg Community Foundation to accept private donations and fundraising dollars.

Plans for Cooke Park

The Cooke Park project will be completed in two phases. Phase one will include playground equipment, restrooms, a picnic shelter, a walking path, and a baseball/soccer field. Phase two will feature the splash pad.

Pacheco says the park will also include green spaces with perennial plants, a pollinator garden, and benches. She also hopes to incorporate art through a partnership with the Galesburg Community Arts Center.

Construction is scheduled to begin in August. Pacheco estimates that the project will take approximately two years to complete.