Shawnee County commissioners voted unanimously Jan
23 to approve an entertainment company to provide new equipment to Gage Park
RCI Adventure Products will provide playground equipment for the park
engineering and manufacturing of adventure products for not only participants to enjoy but also facilities as well
"This is phase two of our improvements to Playland in Gage Park," said Shawnee County Parks and Recreation director Tim Laurent
Laurent said the first phase included adding a three bay zipline
What will the new park equipment at Gage Park include?The new park equipment for Gage Park will be an Adventure Trail
The adventure trail will be built on eight steel poles with seven bridges
"This has been a pretty lengthy process," said Laurent
"We've had two public meetings where we've had people come out and give us their feedback of what they want to see and play land was a part of that."
The new equipment will be placed in the mini train area
Those funds will be provided through the Gage Park approvement authority
Annual inspections will be provided by the manufacturer to ensure the equipment is useable and up to code
When can you expect to see the new equipment?Laurent said he expects the project will be done by 2026
and much will depend on the timeline of when the pieces of equipment will be delivered
Old equipment will start being removed in upcoming weeks
but not all of it as Parks and Rec wants to ensure that there will still be equipment available on site throughout the process
Shawnee County Commissioner Aaron Mays said he thinks people will be excited to see the new equipment as it's "pretty cool."
Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal
She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com
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A 14-year-old boy was shot and wounded Friday inside a retail store in the Gage Park neighborhood
A teenage boy was wounded in a shooting Friday at a retail store in Gage Park
The 14-year-old was inside the store about 5:15 p.m
in the 3300 block of West 55th Street when someone approached him and fired shots
The boy was taken in fair condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn
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Yellow crime tape is stretched across a darkened background
A man was fatally shot Friday night in Gage Park on the Southwest Side
in the 3100 block of West 54th Place when someone fired shots
A man and woman were found shot to death in an apartment in Gage Park
a woman was stabbed Sunday night in the 5300 block of South Kedzie Avenue
A couple in their 60s was fatally attacked in a Gage Park home
and the attacker allegedly stabbed a woman in the restroom of a nearby bar minutes later after trying to stab the bouncer and shoot a patron Sunday night
Officers responded to calls of a person shot just before 10 p.m
at an apartment in the 5300 block of South Kedzie Avenue
police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said
Autopsies Monday determined that both died of multiple gunshot wounds and stabbing injuries and were dead at the scene
according to police and the medical examiner’s office
an allegedly intoxicated 57-year-old man suspected of killing Romo and Chavez walked across the street to the Just One More sports bar at 5332 S
and allegedly tried to stab a 37-year-old bouncer
the man allegedly tried to shoot a bar patron
where he allegedly stabbed a woman multiple times
who held a knife in one hand and the gun in the other as he walked outside the bar
police officers Tased him and he was placed into custody and taken to a hospital
got into a “verbal altercation” in the 5500 block of Spaulding Avenue at 8:13 p.m
when one of them pulled out a handgun and both struggled for it
A man was killed and another injured after a shooting in Gage Park Friday night
were in a “verbal altercation” in the 5500 block of South Spaulding Avenue at 8:13 p.m
when one of them pulled out a handgun and both then struggled for it
The 42-year-old was shot multiple times and taken to Christ Medical Center where he later died
He was identified as Roberto Guzman by the Cook County medical examiner’s office
The 33-year-old was also shot multiple times and taken to Christ Medical Center in critical condition
A man was found fatally shot behind the wheel of a bullet-riddled car Tuesday night in Gage Park on the Southwest Side
officers were called to a suspicious vehicle in the 5600 block of South California Avenue where they found another vehicle alongside it
Behind the wheel of the bullet-marred car officers found Eduardo Gamez
Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said
No one was in custody and Area 1 detectives are investigating
A Chicago firefighter was critically injured in a fire Friday morning on the Southwest Side
A Chicago Fire Department firefighter was injured in a Gage Park warehouse blaze Friday morning on the Southwest Side
Firefighters responded to the fire around 7:10 a.m
according to the fire department in a post on X
Crews extinguished the blaze from inside the 2-story brick warehouse containing paper products and building supplies
fire department spokesman Larry Langford said
The firefighter was battling flames when he was hurt
It wasn’t clear immediately how he was injured
The firefighter remains at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where his condition
who added: “There is no threat to his life.”
who was “conscious and alert” when paramedics began treating him
“You wouldn’t even know a fire happened there if you drove by,” Langford said
It wasn’t immediately known if anyone was inside at the time the fire broke out
and the cause and origin of the fire are under investigation
A Chicago man was charged with killing a couple and stabbing a woman minutes apart Sunday on the Southwest Side
A Cook County judge ordered a Chicago man detained after being charged with killing his brother and sister-in-law and then stabbing a woman at a nearby bar in Gage Park on the Southwest Side
Though he remained hospitalized Wednesday after suffering a stroke and did not appear in court
a Cook County judge ordered him detained until his next court date
Romo allegedly shot and stabbed his brother and sister-in-law in their home Sunday in the 5300 block of South Kedzie Avenue
according to prosecutors and Chicago police
and found the back door of the apartment was open
Romo allegedly went to across the street to Just One More sports bar at 5332 S
according to prosecutors and a law enforcement source
Romo allegedly tried to shoot a bar patron
was shocked with a Taser by officers outside the bar as he held a knife in one hand and the gun in the other
His next court date is scheduled for Monday
A motorist crashed into a building early Tuesday after someone in another car shot him in his head in the Gage Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side
was driving near the 3100 block of West 59th Street when a silver or gold sedan pulled up alongside him and opened fire
The man was shot in his head and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was in critical condition
in Gage Park on the Southwest Side on Sunday night
and a 14-year-old girl were walking in the 5600 block of South Maplewood Avenue when two people dressed in all black emerged from a gangway
according to a Chicago police report and the Cook County medical examiner’s office
The two people opened fire on the teens with a rifle and a handgun
striking Cesar multiple times and grazing the 14-year-old girl
The 5600 block of South Maplewood Avenue in Gage Park
Cesar was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center
The girl suffered graze wounds to her leg and head
She was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition
said she doesn’t know why anyone would target her son
She’s trying to piece together what happened that night by talking with neighbors and friends
She said she hopes police can arrest the assailants so she can get answers
because police so far haven’t been forthcoming
only that they are investigating and investigating,” she said
“Who knows if it’ll end up like a lot of deaths that have happened here
She said her son was a good role model to his four younger siblings
Brazon said her family was among the first migrants seeking asylum to be brought to the city by bus in 2022
Authorities in Texas put her on a bus to the city after she entered the United States at the Juarez border crossing
and now they killed your son and you don’t know why,” Brazon said
The father of the 14-year-old girl has many of the same questions as Cesar’s mother
who was discharged from the hospital Monday morning
“She said everything happened so fast that she doesn’t remember,” said the man
who asked not to be named for safety concerns
Cesar and the girl knew each other from Gage Park High School and had recently started becoming friends
Cesar was walking her home when the shooting occurred
The man said his daughter was doing well physically since being released from the hospital
The two have been in Chicago for about six months after entering the country through Texas
They were then given a plane ticket to Chicago
“I never thought something like this would happen in this country,” the man said
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(WIBW) - Officials with Shawnee County Parks + Recreation said the Gage Park mini-train is back on track as of noon Thursday
The update on the mini-train was provided on the Shawnee County Parks + Recreation Facebook page
Shawnee County Parks + Recreation director
said the personnel from the mini-train’s company -- based in Wichita -- were on site to repair the train early Thursday morning
The train had broken down and wasn’t available for riders
according to a Wednesday afternoon Facebook post from Shawnee County Parks + Recreation
According to Shawnee County Parks + Recreation officials
which they had on hand but needed help installing
They were able to get here quickly to assist with the repair
The breakdown came after a little more than a year of operation
The current mini-train opened in March 2023
replacing the Iron Horse diesel-powered mini-train that had been in place for 55 years
When it opened a little more than a year ago
Shawnee County Parks + Recreation said the new electric train had far fewer mechanical parts and that it would be easier and less expensive to maintain
The mini-trains have been a fixture at Gage Park for decades during warm-weather months
It takes riders of all ages on a route through a wide area of the park
Additional details weren’t immediately available
Check wibw.com later for more information as it becomes available