Glen Ellyn OKs indoor sports complex

Construction of Glen Ellyn Park District's Indoor Sports Complex will begin this fall.

Monday night, Glen Ellyn village board members approved the final plans of the project.

The 89,000-square-foot facility at the 64-acre Ackerman Park will feature three full-size basketball courts, a three-lane walking track, a workout facility, locker rooms, a small meeting area and a multipurpose athletics area for other sports.

During the construction process, the current soccer fields and volleyball courts will be shifted to another location near the recreation center.

"It's an exciting project," Glen Ellyn Park District Parks Foreman James Warnstedt said. "It's going to be a great facility."

Voters agreed in fall 2006 to give the park district $11.9 million for land acquisition, renovation of Main Street Recreation Center and the construction of the new recreational facility at Ackerman Park.

About $7.9 million was budgeted for the project, which will be located north of the intersection of Riford and St. Charles roads.

The project originally was slated to begin in fall 2007, but because the design and village approval process took longer than expected, the project now is expected to begin in November, Warnstedt said.

The project will take between 12 and 14 months to complete and officials are hopeful the structure will be completed by January 2010.

Warnstedt said the project is currently out to bid and leaders are hoping the project will meet the district budget.

He said extra space was necessary for the district.

"Added additional indoor space is much needed," he said.