Carol Stream voters backing rec center plan
Carol Stream Park District will have the money to build a new recreation center and improve parks thanks to voters, who approved a $37 million bond issue.
With all precincts reporting, unofficial totals show 57 percent of voters approved giving the district the money while 43 percent were opposed.
District officials say residents' tax rates will remain the same because the district plans to refinance and extend existing debt. Homeowners' tax bills still will vary based on the value of their houses.
Executive Director Arnie Biondo said district officials were thrilled with the results.
Plans call to open the new recreation center at an estimated cost of between $17 million and $20 million within two and a half and three years, Biondo said. In the meantime, he said, the district will work to fix and extend trails this summer.
He said residents responded to the district's presentations, which he said were as forthcoming as they could be.
"It's an affirmation of a lot of hard work," he said.
The district collects $370 a year from owners of a home valued at $300,000. That number was scheduled to decrease by $30 in 2020 but will now remain the same through 2030.
The money also will allow the district to build an off-leash dog park, provide better lighting for paths and sports fields, and improve maintenance.
The park district had two public hearings last year to gather public input after distributing communitywide surveys in 2004 and again in 2008.
Biondo said the surveys helped the district craft the bond proposal and that it is their responsibility to follow those plans as presented.
"It is all anyone can expect from a public entity," he said.
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<li><a href="/news/politics/elections/2010/primary/race/?id=ref_dupage County">More on Carol Stream referendum </a></li>
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