Edwardsville Aldermen Deny Leclaire Park Improvements For Now

Edwardsville City Council Meeting (10-21-25)

EDWARDSVILLE – In a rare move this week, Edwardsville City Council members unanimously voted against approving a contract for improvements to Leclaire Park.

The full scope of the project includes removing and replacing the park’s retaining walls, stairs, walkway, and the fencing adjacent to the former Leclaire Lake beach area. Tuesday’s meeting documents state some of the existing infrastructure in this section of the park dates back to the 1940’s and is past its life expectancy and the point of repair.

The only bid the city received for the project totaled $349,832.95, far exceeding the original budgeted amount of $200,000. Parks & Recreation Director Nate Tingley suggested aldermen vote the item down for now with a plan to rebid the project next year.

“We think by waiting until 2026, there’ll be another project that we can bid out about the same time in the same neighborhood,” Tingley said. “We’re hoping to get multiple bids, or there’s a possibility where we could package it together and make it more enticing and get some more bids.”

If future bids for the project still come back over budget, Tingley said they’ll be able to combine Park Improvement funds as needed from both Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026, noting the project timeline will likely fall between April and May of 2026.

City Council members unanimously voted against approving the Leclaire Park improvements contract. A full recording of the Oct. 21, 2025 Edwardsville City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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