SPRINGFIELD – Park-N-Chill is returning for another year of soft serve, smiles and dole whip delights at their staple location in Washington Park.
What would usually be a no-brainer question of “where can you get ice cream in Washington Park?” the answer was almost put on ice by the Springfield Park District.
But in mid-March, the Springfield Park District announced the organization was taking proposals from other vendors for the stand in the park. Park-N-Chill, which is owned by the Klyczek family, has operated the business for close to a decade at the same patio in Washington Park.
After a secondary vendor approached the request for proposal in March, the park district held a deadline for other businesses to bid for a contract at the spot until March 20. However, by the bidding date, the secondary vendor pulled out of bidding.
“I can tell you we have selected Park-N-Chill as the vendor for this summer,” Springfield Park District executive director Derek Harms said. “Since then, we’ve been working with them on contract terms and negotiating contract.”
Harms confirmed Park-N-Chill ended up being the only bidder for the spot. Terms of the contract are still being negotiated, including contract timeframe before renewal.
“All is good and we look to have them in place by Memorial Day as we have in past years as well,” Harms said.
The Klyczeks did not respond to requests for comment.
Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for The State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@usatodayco.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Popular ice cream stand will return to Washington Park this summer
Reporting by Claire Grant, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
