Small Illinois Town’s Sled Hill Off Limits

A small town in eastern Illinois is losing its sledding hill because the city says it’s just too big of a liability.

Kay McCabe is a member of the Park District board in Paxton. She tells The (Champaign) News-Gazette that the district’s insurance company warned that costs would sharply rise if anyone had an accident on the hill in Coady Park.

Paxton is about 30 miles north of Champaign and sits in one of the flattest areas in Illinois. Places to ride a sled downhill in that part of the state are almost all manmade.

Park District Director Neal McKenry says he believes people will miss the hill but he hopes they get over the disappointment.

Workers have already started removing trees and other vegetation from the hill.