Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation (CCPR) recently announced that its design partner SmithGroup has received a Merit Award from the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ILASLA) for its role in redesigning West Park.
SmithGroup is one of the world’s premier integrated design firms, with expertise in parks, waterfronts, cultural institutions, higher education, and urban spaces. CCPR partnered with SmithGroup to transform West Park as a part of its Reimagining Parks initiative, completed in 2022 with funding support from the Clay Township Impact Program.
The Merit Award honors site-specific landscape architecture projects that raise professional standards, encourage public appreciation of quality design, and expand awareness of the profession. West Park was submitted in the “General Design – Constructed – Over $1,000,000 Landscape Construction Budget” category.
Key upgrades to West Park include a new playground, an integrated splash pad with waterfalls, an expanded parking lot, improved trails, and a restored prairie maze. The imaginative playground and splash pad were inspired by input from a focus group of elementary school students in 2019. SmithGroup brought their ideas to life with towering slides, cascading water features, and canyon-like structures – creating a one-of-a-kind destination for play and exploration.
“The Merit Award validates our shared vision of creating spaces that spark creativity, joy, and multi-generational engagement,” CCPR Director Michael Klitzing said. “Our collaboration with SmithGroup brought a dream playground, inspired by local kids, into a reality for our entire community to enjoy.”
West Park is among Carmel’s most frequented parks and serves as the site for several CCPR summer camps that provide valuable educational and recreational opportunities for local youth. Learn more at CarmelClayParks.com.