FRANKFORT, IL — The newly renovated Fort Frankfort is now open, and part of the renovation pays a special tribute to an important person in the playground's history.
The playground renovations also included two new pavilions, and one of the pavilions is named after Phil Simmons, a former park district commissioner and volunteer for Operation Playground Foundation, who died in 2024.
Simmons was a long-time supporter of the park district and helped spearhead Operation Playground Foundation, which was responsible for raising money to build the original Fort Frankfort at Commissioners Park.