Crowds turn out for opening of Glen Ellyn sports center

Glen Ellyn Park District formally unveiled its new Ackerman Sports and Fitness Center Saturday and the energetic midday crowd seemed to enjoy what it saw.

Hundreds of people streamed through the halls to try out the center's climbing walls, see its indoor soccer field or take a few swings inside the Chicago Bulls/White Sox Training Academy area. At the front desk, residents had pictures taken for Ackerman membership cards.

"It looks great," resident Toni Silverman said. "I imagine my two boys will make plenty of use of the basketball courts."

Saturday's grand opening for the 88,000-square-foot facility at 800 St. Charles Road was the culmination of nearly four years of planning and construction. The center's final price tag stands near $11.2 million.

The cost of the project ended up being roughly $4 million more than taxpayers approved during a 2006 referendum proposal. The park district has taken some heat for the higher cost.

Ed Hess, president of the Glen Ellyn Park District board, said the cost rose because the board approved changes to the plan based on requests from residents.

"It wasn't just a case of 'going over budget,'" he said. "And we expanded the project without raising taxes."

Glen Ellyn resident Rich Reilly said he's concerned about the increased cost, even though he likes how the fitness center turned out. He said his family is still debating about whether to buy a membership.

"It looks beautiful, but I do think they spent too much," he said. "Our taxes might not go up, but they're not going down, either."

District officials couldn't say just how many people attended Saturday, but in the early afternoon park district Executive Director Cory Atwell said it seemed like "thousands" already had walked through the center.

At least a few of those came from beyond Glen Ellyn. Kim Kretz of Mount Prospect stood in the baseball area while her 9-year-old son, Justin, threw some fastballs under the watchful eye of a training academy staff member. She learned about the grand opening via an e-mail sent by the Chicago White Sox Training Academy.

"So far, this place seems wonderful," Kretz said. "And it didn't take that long to drive here, so I could definitely see myself bringing Justin back for the baseball programs."