Visitors to Waukegan’s beach next summer will be able to walk from a new concrete pad into the water on rubber accessibility mats, making it easier for people with mobility issues or individuals who prefer a surface with less resistance than sand.
The accessibility mats are one of several elements of a $200,000 renovation project designed to make the beach accessible for people who could not use it before, or those who want a less stressful time there.
The Waukegan City Council approved the overall project in August, and unanimously authorized a $91,000 contract to install a concrete pad adjacent to the beach drive where people can use the beach area with a minimum amount of walking.
Along with the accessibility mats, Lisa May, the city’s lakefront coordinator, said the project will include a large, level, conveniently located concrete pad with amenities, where people can enjoy being near the beach with minimal effort.
“We want to make the beach a better place for mobility impaired individuals,” May said. “It will be helpful for elderly people, too. There will be a ramp for wheelchairs and strollers.”
Mayor Ann Taylor said the more accessible beach will bring additional people to Waukegan and let residents who found it challenging to take advantage of the city’s lakefront when the season opens on Memorial Day.
“This will make our beach more desirable,” she said. “There will be more ways to enjoy the beach. It will be more accessible for the elderly too, who want to be near water and found it hard before.”
May said the pad will include a shaded area with a covering similar to one at the Stiner Pavilion, with places where people can sit and enjoy the beach just a few feet from where they exit a vehicle.
“The concrete pad will also provide a nice place for elderly residents and people who have mobility impairments to hang out closer to the beach without having to traverse the park or the grass,” she said. “They can pull up, be dropped off and be there. They can dine at the pad.”
While final plans for the pad are still under consideration, May said there will be an area where people can sit with benches and a stone seating wall. Wheelchair-accessible picnic tables are a possibility. Bollards will be installed to assure vehicles do not move onto the area.
At one end of the pad will be a ramp which connects to the mobility mats, allowing people visiting the beach to get to the shoreline. May said the mats will extend into the water, allowing people to get an easier start to a swim.
“The mats go into the water,” she said. “We have a gentleman who has multiple sclerosis who swims the beaches all over. He has a goal to get mobility mats installed up and down the lakefront, from Chicago to Kenosha.”
May said the concrete work will start soon and hopefully be finished “before the snow flies.” The rest of the effort is planned for next year, with a goal of finishing before Memorial Day or shortly thereafter. Though the season starts in late May, the beach is open 365 days a year.
While many beaches along Lake Michigan north of Chicago are primarily limited to residents of those towns, May said Waukegan’s beach is open to everyone. During the summer, nonresidents must pay a $10 parking fee on weekends and holidays.
Of the total cost of $200,000, Taylor said $106,000 is coming from federal funds through a community development block grant.