With Bobcats and backhoes still working over the fields and work crews planting trees and hauling wheelbarrows of dirt to and fro, it looks like there’s much work yet to accomplish at Jaycee/Ehlert Park.

But on Sept. 20, come hell or high water, village officials will cut the ribbon on the $1.2 million, 5.67-acre park addition that has been over five years in the making.

“The majority of the park is done,” said Meena Beyers, Brookfield’s village planner. “There’s a bit of final grading and seeding that has to be done, and it will be reseeded in the spring.”

As of Friday, most of the park’s hardscape was visibly complete, including the parking lot (accessible from Shields Avenue at Sunnyside Avenue), the skate park, the pavilion, a good portion of the asphalt walking path around the park perimeter, lighting, the horseshoe pit and framework for the bocce court.

The grading for the park’s natural drainage area near the corner of Sunnyside and Shields is also complete, but grading still needs to be completed on the main soccer field. The park also needs to be completely seeded.

As a result, while officials will cut the ribbon on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m., much of the park, specifically the playing fields, won’t be available for use.

Much of the activity will take place at the skate park, where there will be skate demonstrations sponsored by Totally Board in LaGrange as well as bocce and horseshoe tournaments, raffles and refreshments.

Beyers said that the park will be fully operational next spring.

The development of Jaycee/Ehlert Park between Shields, Congress Park, Sunnyside and Prairie avenues has been on the drawing board since 2003, when the village first proposed buying the vacant parcel of land from Lyons-Brookfield School District 103.

That deal was finally consummated in 2004, with Brookfield paying $1.5 million, with half of the funding coming from a state Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant.

Brookfield received another $398,000 OSLAD grant in 2006, which went toward the development of that land.