Lisle rec center decision expected soon

Lisle Park District residents may know by mid-April if leaders will pursue a referendum proposal to construct an 86,000-square-foot indoor recreation center.

The facility would be built at the site of the existing Community Center at 1825 Short St. and likely would cost more than $20 million, Director of Parks and Recreation Dan Garvy said Monday.

Officials have been collecting input on the plan for a month and will offer residents another chance to be heard at 8:30 a.m. April 12 at the Community Center.

The park board is expected to vote that day or at its April 17 meeting on whether to authorize Carol Stream-based Williams Architects to enter the schematic design phase for the proposed complex.

If the board chooses that route, Garvy said he hopes it also will announce its intent to pursue a tax increase referendum to finance the rec center project. The earliest such a referendum could appear on the ballot is November.

Park leaders say the push for an indoor complex stems from concerns with the condition and age of the Community Center, which they own, and the Meadows Center, 5801 Westview Lane, which they lease from Lisle Unit District 202.

The park district estimates it would cost a combined $10 million to buy the Meadows Center from District 202 and to repair and modernize both facilities, which offer a total of about 40,000 square feet of recreation space.

Garvy says replacing both buildings with a new complex would be twice as expensive, but also would provide more space and state-of-the-art amenities with greater flexibility to meet current and future recreation needs.

The construction phase of the project would take 12 to 18 months, he said.

When the recreation center proposal first was floated in February, officials estimated it would cover 75,000 square feet and cost between $15 million and $18 million.

Now, after meeting with residents and working more closely with architects, officials say the proposed facility would cover about 86,000 square feet and cost between $19.5 million and $23 million.

The district probably will have to seek a tax increase whether it elects to renovate its existing buildings or build a new one, Garvy said. Tentative estimates indicate it will cost the owner of a $300,000 home around $125 annually for the next 20 years for a new facility.

There's also the possibility the district would need additional tax money to operate and maintain the complex, but Garvy said he believes it will be largely self-supporting. He said the district would determine if additional money is needed before going to referendum and would make that clear to voters.

Plans call for the building to include three full-sized basketball courts (up from two in the early stages of talks), a track and a larger fitness facility.

It also would house the Gentle Learning Preschool, an arts and crafts room, a senior wing, meeting rooms, multi-purpose rooms and staff offices.

Some residents have asked about adding an indoor competition pool, but that probably won't happen.

"First, we don't have the space," Garvy said. "But (indoor swimming) is also not something we do now and the cost it would add to the project would be huge."

Garvy says reaction at public meetings has been largely positive, but there have been questions about the cost, the need for a new building and how much use it would get.

He said staff members are working to address all those concerns.

"We want to give people the information they need to make an educated decision," he said.

The design of the new facility "is relatively conservative," Garvy said.

"There's not a lot of fluff in there," he said. "We're trying to put all our existing indoor programming into one facility, but this also would offer some areas for us to grow."

No matter what the park board and voters ultimately decide, officials say the district must do something soon to address indoor space needs if it wants to maintain its current level of service.

"We can't just sit on our hands and wait for something to happen," Garvy said.

In the meantime, the district is hoping for a large turnout April 12, and officials are urging residents to share their thoughts and concerns.

"We're trying to be as practical as we can and get as much input as possible," Garvy said. "It's a huge project and just because we think there's a need to do it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen."