Young students at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic School could soon trade an asphalt parking lot for a real playground.

The school presented plans to the Hinsdale Village Board on Monday, Nov. 2, for a 6,122-square-foot playground off Vine Street, northeast of the school's gymnasium. The project would serve kindergarten through third grade students who have no designated play area, first reported by Patch. Trustees plan to vote on the proposal in two weeks.

Right now, those students take recess in a surface parking lot on the school's west parcel. The lot closes during funeral masses at the church, canceling recess altogether. Preschoolers already have their own playground on the south side of campus, but older children do not.

"We thought about the children that are least aware of their surroundings when they're running around on an asphalt parking lot for recess," Principal Carol Burlinksi told the board.

The playground would occupy an existing loading area and access drive, built on two levels to account for an 8-to-9-foot grade change running north to south, according to the village's Plan Commission packet. Colored permeable rubber surfacing, play equipment, benches, a sculpture and interactive structures are planned. The area would be fully fenced with 4-foot black ornamental fencing, including crash-rated panels along the Vine Street sidewalk. Gates would remain locked, with panic bars on the inside for emergency exit.

The playground would hold a maximum of 75 students per recess period. Recess runs from about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays, with after-school programs using the space from about 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Burlinksi said the playground is strictly for school use, not open to the neighborhood.

No lights, fewer concerns

Neighbors had raised concerns about lighting, trustees said during the meeting. Playground designer Joe Pizzuto said the plan includes no lighting for the new play area.

"I didn't want to rile anybody up, so that's why we didn't add any light," Pizzuto said.

A separate lighting issue involves the school's west parking lot. Earlier in 2026, St. Isaac Jogues installed new LED fixtures on seven existing light poles there. The initial photometric plan showed light levels at the west property line reaching 3.3 to 3.9 footcandles, well above the 0.5-footcandle limit for lots next to residential properties. The school installed light shields on Oct. 16 to reduce spillover and was working on updated measurements at the time of the Plan Commission packet.

The school conducted outreach to neighbors near the proposed playground on Vine Street and received 11 responses, all stating no objections, according to the Plan Commission packet.

What's next

The project requires a major adjustment to the school's existing planned development, originally approved by the Village Board in 1994. The Nov. 2 Village Board agenda listed the playground ordinance as a first reading. Trustees plan to vote at a future meeting in approximately two weeks.

The school's 4.8-acre campus sits on the south side of Fourth Street between Vine Street and Clay Street. St. Isaac Jogues serves children through eighth grade.