Hessel Park — Attraction in Champaign

Park.

It has child areas with soft ground and signs posted for age limit. The sidewalks can get you to the playground and the water areas but not the pavilions. The pavilions can be rented but not clearly marked.

There are signs as to the ages on the playground but it is not an accessible park.

When it gets dark, the lights appeared to be automatic, but only served along parts of the path, making hard to see if in another area or to get to a car safely.

I mention this, as a rain storm moved in, and not it was it hard to see, and there was no shelter while waiting for a vehicle. Also, there is no obvious signage as to where a bus might stop or dropoff.

The park meets one side of a busy / commonly used road. I would only go here with children should they be easy to watch or have the understanding of staying away from roads. A lot of toddlers and young children from precovid age might not have this knowledge due to circumstances.

Bathroom facilities, if available, we're not seen or used.

The water area is on timers and the water seems regulated not to be either too hot or cold.

The playground areas seemed to be divided by age or skill level. This does mean that it is strictly followed and there is no mask or cleaning requirements in any areas, at this time.

The trash cans were within walking distance and seemed to be taken care of regularly. None of them were overflowing.

There are some trees, but most are nearer to the pavilions, and we're not in use. They are there more for shade and not for climbing, unless you are up for a small challenge.

Overall, a clean park, and maintained. A popular park. I would suggest bringing a towel and a book or maybe a frisbee.

Lots...

(This is for the apartments, not the park)

They will nickel and dime you until you're evicted.

Be sure to read your lease in its entirety. You'll feel rushed by the staff not to do so, but there are all sorts of fun add-ons. A typical month's billing will look like this:

Rent - $679 Pet Rent - $25 (each pet) Allocated Water Service - $27 Allocated Sewer Service - $15 Trash Service - $8 Admin Fee - $5

Hooray! Advertised $679 rent is now $759 per month.

That's right, common utilities like trash and sewer are not even included. Oh and the Admin Fee is mandatory, there's no escaping it, even with auto-pay.

Rent late by a day? $35 fee. Rent late by 4 days? Add another $15 fee AND an eviction notice. YOU WILL BE EVICTED FOR PAYING LATE BY MORE THAN 7 DAYS

They also let in a lot, lot of sketchy people. It's not uncommon to see a police vehicle a couple days per week.

Lastly, it's impossible to get your deposit back, no matter what condition you leave the apartment in.

It's a complete scam of a place -- by far the worst place I...

Nice park in Champaign....be aware they don't post anything in the park about a Pavillion being RESERVED.

We rented, reserved with $$$, Pavillion # 4 on a recent Sunday evening. When we arrived...Pavillion # 4 was FULL of a big family party/and cookout.

Exactly what we intended to use it for....we had 24 people from different parts of the country meeting for a family reunion.

LUCKILY....Pavillion # 3 was unused so we chose to move there as opposed to try to make someone else move.

Just beware if you reserve a Pavillion and someone decides to "use" it sitting your time....you have NO RECOURSE. The City Parks Department does NOT POST anything on the pavilion to alert drive-up users that any particular Pavillion has been rented.

Other than this issue...which could have been a spoiler, we had a great time.

The bathrooms are at the opposite corner of the park from Pavillions #3 and #4 and someone locked them about 7 PM....long...