Thanks to donations, boardwalk concept back in Kenilworth beachfront plans

A new wave of funding will revive an element of Kenilworth’s beach improvement project that appeared to be water under the bridge.

Kenilworth trustees during their Monday, Nov. 17 meeting approved a resolution increasing the total maximum price by approximately half-a-million dollars for the next phase of work that’s part of the village’s large-scale beach improvement project.

More specifically, the approved resolution increases the contract price with the project’s contractor, Bulley and Andrews, by $501,447, moving the maximum price to $7.48 million.

The new funds will go toward improvements to the beach’s plaza, an aspect of work along Kenilworth’s lakefront that was previously planned but had since been excluded from the project’s scope.

Officials noted beach plaza upgrades were previously removed from plans “due to higher than anticipated construction costs.”

According to a village memo, the funds for the new work and expanded scope were raised “through generous community donations.”

The resolution was unanimously approved via omnibus vote, meaning the trustees conducted no formal discussion of the matter during the Nov. 17 meeting.

Kenilworth trustees in mid-August voted to establish a maximum price for the project of $6.98 million. That total, according to village officials, was based on work that did not include improvements to the beach plaza.

In a village memo sent to the board, officials said “a community fundraising effort was undertaken to raise approximately $500,000 to reincorporate the improvements.” That effort, per officials, “was successful with over $500,000 raised through donations from residents and local organizations.”

A breakdown of the new funds included in the Nov. 17 meeting packet shows that the $500,000 will go toward concrete, steel, carpentry, electrical, earth and landscaping work.

According to a village communication sent in early October, beach plaza upgrades are slated to include a wooden boardwalk that will include new steps down to the sand, a new ADA ramp to the sand, an outdoor shower and foot washing station, additional seating that overlooks the swimming beach, a natural turf picnic area and new landscape lighting.

These updates, officials say, will be completed this offseason and will be ready for use next summer.

As previously reported by The Record, Kenilworth officials in mid-September ceremoniously marked the start of the second phase of work for the beachfront project.

This phase includes a bulk of the improvements and costs. Some of those upgrades include a new bathroom facility, additional storage, an ADA-compliant pedestrian ramp, improved access features and improved landscaping. The first phase largely focused on shoreline-protection work.

Officials have previously stated that the second phase of work is expected to be completed in time for the 2026 beach season.

Money for the second phase of Kenilworth’s beach protection and modernization project comes in part from a $2.5 million bond issue that voters approved this past March, The Record also reported.

Additional work could be completed over a multi-year construction timeline slated to begin in the fall of 2026, according to the village’s website. Future phases, officials say, “will be approved when the Village has funds available and will be offset by a capital fundraising campaign starting mid-2025.”

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