New ADA-Accessible Kayak Launch Opens at Montgomery Park With County and State Funding

A new ADA-accessible kayak launch opened at Montgomery Park on Wednesday, July 22, giving Montgomery residents and visitors with disabilities a new Fox River access point.

The Village of Montgomery, Fox Valley Park District and Kane County marked the opening with a ribbon-cutting. In a July 23 announcement, the Village said the project cost approximately $250,000 and was fully funded through Kane County federal American Rescue Plan Act money and a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The Village said that funding meant there was no cost to the Village, Fox Valley Park District or Montgomery taxpayers for this project. The announcement did not identify the dollar amount of the DCEO grant or the precise share provided through ARPA.

A new accessible Fox River entry point

The launch is intended to create greater opportunities for paddlers with different abilities to access the Fox River. For residents and visitors with disabilities, the completed project adds an accessible water-entry point at a municipal park in Montgomery.

The Village said Montgomery Park was selected because of its existing recreational amenities, proximity to local businesses and the need for additional accessible river access in that stretch of the Fox River.

The project is one of five accessible river-access projects along the 158-mile Fabulous Fox Water Trail. The trail runs through Wisconsin and Illinois and was designated as part of the National Water Trails System on June 3, 2023.

Opening followed an earlier delay

The municipal record included in the June 22, 2026, Montgomery Intergovernmental Committee agenda packet shows that the launch’s ribbon-cutting had previously been placed on hold. Minutes from the committee’s April 27 meeting said river levels were too high to put the launch back in the water.

That record described an earlier, preliminary status. The Village’s July 23 announcement confirms that the ribbon-cutting took place on July 22.

Part of broader Montgomery Park work

The kayak launch is also part of a longer partnership between Montgomery and the Fox Valley Park District. The Village announcement separately said Montgomery has invested $1 million in Montgomery Park improvements in recent years, building on prior Park District investment.

The broader work identified by the Village includes a shaded gathering structure, shoreline restoration, rehabilitation of the historic mill wall and turbine, a Veteran and First Responder Memorial, lighting and ADA-accessible pathways. Those projects should not be confused with the separate approximately $250,000 kayak-launch project.

The immediate change for Montgomery is the completed launch: an accessible Fox River entry point delivered through a partnership involving the Village, Fox Valley Park District and Kane County, with the Village reporting no direct charge to Montgomery taxpayers, the Village or the Park District for the launch project.

Sources

• Village of Montgomery: Montgomery Celebrates Opening of an ADA-Accessible Kayak Launch at Montgomery Park
• Kane County American Rescue Plan Act program
• Fabulousfoxwatertrail