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Rockford park to expand after demo of former nursing home

Rockford Register Star - 7/22/2020

Jul. 22--ROCKFORD -- A northwest side park is on the verge of expanding.

The Rockford Park District Board of Commissioners approved a resolution on July 14 for the district to acquire a 1.5-acre parcel of land at 1920 N. Main St. adjacent to Brown Park.

The land is the site of a former nursing home that closed in 2011 and was razed after the vacant building was badly damaged in a fire in 2018.

The acquisition provides the park district with additional land to meet the community's current and future recreational space needs, according to Rockford Park District Park Planner Tim Bragg.

"At the present time, the park district's plans are just for additional open green space," Bragg said. "At this point, we have no immediate plans for any additional amenities or improvements. Typically, when we're at that point with a park, then we'll have some public engagement sessions."

The former Rockford Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, owned by North Main Properties LLC, once housed 63 residents before it shut down amid state regulators' concerns about the quality of care.

The building sat empty for years and caught fire in 2018 before the remaining structure was eventually torn down.

The former owner lost possession of the property and the Region 1 Planning Council is assisting with the legal efforts to transfer the deed to the park district.

The park district expects to take ownership of the land in late August, pending the resolution of the court proceedings.

"When the park district does community surveys, neighborhood parks always rank very high," Bragg said. "So, by acquiring this property we're looking to address what we're hearing from our citizens as far as what they value and what they prioritize."

Ken DeCoster: kdecoster@rrstar.com; @DeCosterKen

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