General

Set in the heart of the Levee District, adjacent to City Hall and the Fondulac District Library, Levee Park will feature a spectacular water feature, venues for markets and festivals in an open multipurpose lawn, space for sporting and music events, and terraced seating areas. Designed to be family-friendly, the park will also accommodate daily activities, such as casual strolling, gathering, and outdoor dining from adjacent restaurants.

Most importantly, the park will become the new iconic face of East Peoria – green, growing, and family centered.

The goal of the new park is to draw people regularly into our downtown district to spur economic activity and growth, reconnect and beautify our downtown, and provide the infrastructure needed for community activities and events. The Foundation Board views this undertaking as being a once-in-a-century opportunity to develop a green, family friendly space right in the center of our downtown that will for decades be thought of as the iconic heart of the city.

In addition to private donations, the Foundation received a $500,000 Illinois DCEO Capital Development Grant and a $400,000 IDNR OSLAD Matching Grant.

The total Levee Park project is about $3 million. The initial phase, a Reading Garden (shown in blue above), has been completed. The second phase (in green) is in process and will be completed in Spring 2024. This phase includes a community stage, public restrooms, electrical infrastructure, walking paths, and landscaping. With thanks to businesses and individuals who’ve made generous contributions, the park has been fully funded through these two phases.

The last phase (in yellow) will include a splash pad/playable fountain for children and terraced seating for the community stage. It’s anticipated to cost about $1 million and will be completed in 2024. Another $500,000 is still needed to complete this last phase. The Foundation is in the last stretch of fundraising and hopes to close this $500,000 gap within the next six months. We are appealing to the citizens and businesses connected to East Peoria to help close this shortfall.

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After a major manufacturing company abandoned a large part of East Peoria near the Illinois River, the City set about reclaiming the concrete rubble to create a new downtown, the Levee District. It’s now home to many restaurants, retail shops, medical offices, hotels, and more. However, one element thought necessary to assure the long-term sustainability of the new downtown was missing – a community park. One and half acres were reserved for public purposes – for a community park called Levee Park. The City of East Peoria owns the land, and the East Peoria Community Foundation is raising funds to build the park.

We don't often have an opportunity to shape the future, but that’s what's happening in East Peoria … and a new park – Levee Park – is at the center of all that. East Peoria is being reborn. We can all appreciate parks and the value of public spaces, but what's special and unique here is that Levee Park will become the anchor to East Peoria's new and thriving downtown. It not only anchors our beautiful downtown, but embodies the new iconic face of East Peoria, green, growing, and family centered.

levee park

Susan Yoder Portscheller, Board President
CEFCU, Retired

Cindy Reinhart, Board Vice President
Morton Community Bank, Retired

Dennis R. Triggs, Secretary/Treasurer
Miller, Hall & Triggs, LLC, Retired

Genna Buhr
Fondulac District Library Director

Robert Dittmer
Morton Community Bank, Retired

Matthew Mamer
CEFCU

John Kahl
Mayor, City of East Peoria

Diane Cullinan Oberhelman
Cullinan Properties, Ltd.

Gary Uftring
Uftring Auto Group

City Liaison

Ty Livingston

The East Peoria Community Foundation was established in 2014 with the goal of becoming a non-profit resource for developing amenities within the East Peoria community. The Foundation is a 501(C)(3) organization independent of traditional city services and is governed by a Board of Directors. The Foundation was tasked to bring about Levee Park in the heart of East Peoria’s Levee District.

In addition to our efforts to build Levee Park, the Foundation has been busy fulfilling community philanthropy. The Foundation served as the fund-raising arm for volunteers to bring the Vietnam Traveling Wall to East Peoria. And, thanks to a grant from Caterpillar Inc., the Foundation administered funds from the grant to assist with COVID-related hunger needs.

Donations can be made to the Foundation to help build Levee Park or designated for specific causes or for general community-related projects. Please contact the Foundation directly if you want to establish a restricted fund.

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