In downtown Lemont, located at the North end of Stephen Street, the construction of Athens Park is underway. The new park will feature a playground, dog park, walking and biking path, charging stations, sports fields and a history plaza. Outside of downtown, people are discussing the new playground and the opportunities it can give. The park gives many alternatives for people to have fun. They can take a run, or a bike ride, and even walk your dog if you wanted to. Word of the park is also spreading in high school.

“[The park looks] very big and has lots of different fun activities to do.” said Freshman Alex Rychtarczyk.  

Director of marketing and community engagement, Lauren Raspanti, is working with her team to construct and finish the park. The park will take crews of contractors, engineers, and architects to finish developing it.

“The District had a vision of taking this space and developing it into a useful, beautiful space for many generations to come,” Raspanti said.

The group had the idea to make a playground and make good use of land right along the canal, making it very unique compared to other parks offered in Lemont. Additionally, this location is very unique as it is quite peaceful and incredibly scenic.

“The land was left abandoned for many years after being a marine terminal. Once the opportunity rose, we were excited for our vision to come to life and to get a park in the downtown area,” Raspanti said.

A ribbon cutting will be held in the Spring of 2026 to commemorate the grand-opening of Athens Park.