One of the most unique parks in Niles is about to get a much-needed facelift.

Lowe’s has selected Island Park to be the beneficiary of its annual Lowe’s Heroes volunteer program, which allows employees to adopt a project in order to help improve the communities in which they work and live.

“One of our employees got married there a few years ago and she said it is a park that a lot of people forget about,” said Shalanda McDaniel, human resources manager for the Lowe’s store in Niles. “We did a walk around (at the park) and thought we could do some updating out here that would stay within our budget.”

Each store team has a $2,500 budget to fund materials needed for its community project. The program is administered at Lowe’s stores nationwide.

The work planned for this project includes:

• Updating the porch swings

• Painting the children’s playhouse, swing sets, stationary train and monkey bars

• Adding a tetherball

• Adding mulch under swing sets and the train area

• Adding a foursquare game area

• Adding picnic tables

Work is scheduled to begin Monday at the bridge-accessible park, which is located south of the Broadway Bridge and Lakeland Hospital. McDaniel said teams of five to seven people would work each day until the project is finished, likely before the end of next week.

Lowe’s has done the service project for several years. Last year, Lowe’s Heroes provided backpacks and school supplies for children at Riverfront Park. The year before that, Lowe’s Heroes assisted Niles Community Gardens with planting materials and labor.

Lowe’s Heroes has been in place since the late 1990s. For more information about the service program, visit the website lowes.com and search for Lowe’s Heroes.