42 Parks On South, West Sides Getting Improved Air Conditioning To Help Battle Heat Waves

CHICAGO — Residents in Chicago’s most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods will soon have additional and improved cooling options as the city works to boost air conditioning systems at park facilities.

The Chicago Park District and Mayor Brandon Johnson last week announced a $1 million effort to add or upgrade air conditioning systems in park fieldhouses across the city. Improvements are planned at 42 different parks, with the parks slated for the improvements residing in community areas facing the highest health risks during extreme heat events, officials said.

“For too long, communities that have faced the greatest impacts of extreme heat have also borne the weight of underinvestment in the resources needed to keep neighbors safe,” Johnson said in a statement. “By strengthening our neighborhood parks, we are ensuring that every resident — regardless of their ZIP code — has access to safe, welcoming spaces to cool off during dangerous heat events.”

Twenty of the 42 parks will receive improved air conditioning by the end of the summer, with 10 more to see the upgrades by year’s end, according to the city. The remaining 12 are part of larger capital projects that will be undertaken in the future.

Here is the list of park receiving air conditioning upgrades this year:

• Armour Square Park, 3309 S. Shields Ave. (Armour Square neighborhood)
• Avalon Park, 1215 E. 83rd St. (Avalon Park)
• Blackhawk Park, 2318 N. Lavergne Ave. (Belmont Cragin)
• Bradley Park, 9729 S. Yates Blvd. (Jeffery Manor)
• Clark Park, 4615 W. Jackson Blvd. (Austin)
• Cole Park, 361 E. 85th St. (Chatham)
• Cornell Square Park,1809 W. 50th St. (Back of the Yards)
• Cragin Park, 2611 N. Lockwood Ave. (Belmont Cragin)
• Davis Square Park, 4430 S. Marshfield Ave. (Back of the Yards)
• Dawes Park, 8052 S. Damen Ave. (Auburn Gresham)
• Franklin Park, 4320 W. 15th St. (North Lawndale)
• Fuller Park, 331 W. 45th St. (Fuller Park)
• Gage Park, 2411 W. 55th St. (Gage Park)
• Galewood Park, 5729 W. Bloomingdale Ave. (Austin)
• Hermitage Park, 5839 S. Wood St. (Englewood)
• Kelly Park, 2725 W. 41st St. (Brighton Park)
• Ken-Well Park, 2945 N. Kenosha Ave. (Hermosa)
• Levin Park, 5458 W. Kinzie Parkway (Austin)
• Murray Park,1743 W. 73rd St. (West Englewood)
• O’Hallaren Park, 8335 S. Honore St. (Auburn Gresham)
• Palmer Park, 201 E. 111th St. (Roseland)
• Pasteur Park, 5825 S. Kostner Ave. (West Elsdon)
• Piotrowski Park, 4247 W. 31st St. (Little Village)
• Robinson Park, 10540 S. Morgan St. (Washington Heights)
• Shedd Park, 3660 W. 23rd St. (South Lawndale)
• Strohacker Park, 4347 W. 54th St. (West Elsdon)
• Veteran’s Memorial Park, 2820 E. 98th St. (South Chicago)
• Washtenaw Park, 2521 S. Washtenaw Ave. (South Lawndale)
• Wolfe Park, 3325 E. 108th St. (East Side)
• Woodhull Park, 7340 S. East End Ave. (South Shore)

Parks that will receive cooling systems as part of future capital projects include:

• Ada Park, 11250 S. Ada St. (Morgan Park)
• Amundsen Park, 6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave. (Austin)
• Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr. (North Lawndale)
• Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave. (East Garfield Park)
• Hermosa Park, 2240 N. Kilbourn Ave. (Hermosa)
• Kells Park, 3201 W. Chicago Ave. (Humboldt Park)
• Kelvyn Park, 4438 W. Wrightwood Ave. (Hermosa)
• Marquette Park, 6743 S. Kedzie Ave. (Chicago Lawn)
• Moran Park, 5727 S. Racine Ave. (Englewood)
• Sherman Park, 1301 W. 52nd St. (Back of the Yards)
• Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St. (West Town)
• Washington Park, 5531 S. King Dr. (Woodlawn)

Park slated for the improvements were chosen using the Chicago Heat Vulnerability Index, a tool developed by Northwestern University that incorporates historical temperature trends, heat-related illnesses and community characteristics, according to the city. From this research, 42 priority sites for cooling upgrades were designated primarily in neighborhoods identified as “most vulnerable” or “vulnerable” by the index.

Neighborhoods such as West Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Chicago Lawn were classified as the most vulnerable to extreme heat events, according to the index. Most of the South and West sides are classified most vulnerable or vulnerable to extreme heat.

The city’s announcement comes as the city is set to endure another heat wave this week, with temperatures expected to hit the upper 90’s Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The city saw an prolonged heat wave in early July, when heat indices eclipsed 100 multiple days. At least three people died on the South Side during the warm spell, the Tribune reported.

The Park District said it is also testing what it described as “innovative, cost-effective cooling technologies” during this pilot initiative for future projects.

For more information on cooling centers and additional ways to stay cool at city parks, visit the district’s cooling center webpage.