Park District workers remove the rims at Longfellow Park's basketball court at 8 p.m. every evening, even as June and July sunsets linger past 8:30 and pickup games are still running. The court, Oak Park's only outdoor full-length option, has no lights and no plan to get them.

Matt Wiley, an Oak Park resident, raised the issue in a letter published Tuesday, July 7, in the Wednesday Journal. He pointed to a gap he called hard to explain: tennis and pickleball courts across the district stay open until 10 p.m. with lighting, while basketball players lose their court with daylight still in the sky.

"Why do we let tennis and pickleball go until 10 p.m. but cut off basketball at 8 p.m?" Wiley wrote. "Is it noise restrictions? Is it something else? Is there a reason at all?"

The policy

The Park District of Oak Park lists outdoor basketball hours as 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on its website. Staff physically take down the rims each night. The district operates three outdoor basketball locations: Longfellow Park at 610 S. Ridgeland Ave. (one full court), Barrie Park (two half courts), and Stevenson Park (three half courts).

Tennis and pickleball courts, by contrast, are open from sunrise to 10 p.m. across seven tennis locations and five pickleball locations, according to the Park District's website. Courts are lit.

The Park District has not publicly responded to Wiley's letter or explained the two-hour gap between basketball and racquet-sport closing times.

History and context

The 8 p.m. basketball cutoff actually represents an expansion. According to a 2018 Wednesday Journal report, the Park District previously put up hoops for only two to three hours per day before extending availability to the current 12-hour window.

Wiley proposed a modest fix: let players keep going as long as daylight allows, pushing closing time to roughly 9 p.m. in summer months. Longer term, he suggested the district consider adding lights to basketball courts.

Renovation underway, but not for basketball

Construction on a $2.4 million renovation of Longfellow Park began in early March 2026. The project will add four dedicated pickleball courts, an expanded splash pad, a sensory garden, and new playground equipment. The playground, splash pad, and tennis courts are closed during construction, with reopening estimated for November 2026.

The basketball court is not part of the renovation scope, according to the Chicago Tribune's April 8 report on the project. The renovation affects roughly 25 percent of the park's 3.6 acres.

The project is funded in part by a $600,000 state Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant, with the Park District covering the remaining $1.8 million. Jan Arnold, executive director of the Park District, said in March that the grant would "enhance the spaces that bring our community together."

No Park District board vote or policy review on basketball court hours or lighting has been announced.