Villa Park Garden Commission narrows 2026 priorities to signage, lighting and seating

Commissioners at the Villa Park Garden Commission’s Nov. 6 special meeting reviewed a drive-through inventory of village green space and prioritized three categories for near-term work: gateway and park signage, unified street lighting, and additional seating and public art in parks and other public places.

Patrice Gallagher and Lynn Smith described candidate improvements from a recent drive-around, citing parks that could benefit from better wayfinding (North Terrace Park, Twin Lakes Park), relocation of garden plots at Westmore Park to sunnier locations, and newly cleared opportunities at the Douglas Park retention area. Commissioners said they want to align proposed projects with recommendations already contained in the Village Comprehensive Plan.

Commissioners discussed funding approaches including sponsorships, grants and in-kind donations. Several commissioners suggested sponsorship plaques (donated benches or seats), vendor competitions or outreach to donors as ways to reduce tax impact. Staff reminded the group that items should be prioritized and estimated in time for the 2026 budget cycle.

While commissioners expressed enthusiasm for larger projects such as new gateway arches (which can be costly), they agreed to identify a small set of “low-hanging” projects to develop cost estimates for the next meeting. No binding spending decisions on these projects were made on Nov. 6; the commission will return recommended priorities with cost estimates and alignment to the comprehensive plan at future meetings.