Architects give first glimpse of Wheeling rec center expansion

A warm-water therapy pool, bigger gym and kitchen for culinary classes are among the potential upgrades recommended by architects designing a possible expansion of the Wheeling Park District's rec center.

Talk of an expansion was prompted when Wheeling officials suggested relocating the village's senior center - and its roughly 500 members - to the park district's Community Recreation Center on the municipal campus off Dundee Road.

Parks board President Keith Pecka said the 77,674-square-foot building can't accommodate the influx of new users without an addition.

Both sides have hired an architectural firm to design a multigenerational space. That could mean a major facelift to the more than 20-year-old rec center, to make way for seniors and new programming.

Williams Architects hasn't pinpointed the scope of an addition or the costs, but the Itasca firm promises to deliver conceptual plans by May 7 and a budget by June 15.

So far, after more than two months of study, architects and consultants have outlined a general list of improvements.

Meeting jointly Tuesday night, village trustees and park commissioners generally were receptive to the ideas, with Village President Dean Argiris calling the list an "eye-opener into what the future holds for us."

But leaders on both sides say there's already a thorny issue: how to avoid a shortage of parking.

"Parking is a monster I hope we all together can slay," Village Trustee Mary Krueger said.

Trustees also have raised complaints about parking in plans for the $100 million Town Center, a mix of shops, restaurants and apartments just northwest of the rec center.

"Coming to a community area here, the campus that we have created, should be a friendly experience, not a stressful experience," Argiris said.

From their study, architects says the rec center does two things right. There's plenty of "home interest" in the facility, with only 7 percent of residents going to competitors. And preschool classes are adequately sized.

But there's room for growth beyond the current footprint, architects say.

The fitness center and gym are too tight during peak hours, and more runners would use the indoor track if it was extended. The lap pool also is "really taxed," the firm says.

Pecka wouldn't say which items were desirable and which were off the table until officials learn the costs. But on adding a pool, he said, "you hope you can use what you have already."

What is clear is that Wheeling's baby boomer population is growing. Residents 55 and over are expected to account for 29 percent of the population by 2019, up from 24 percent in 2010, according to consultants.

That group would be better served in the rec center because of its proximity to amenities on the municipal campus, officials say.

Since 1985, the village's human services department has run a senior center out of a 5,670-square-foot building about a mile away from the rec center. The building has become too small and outdated, officials say.

The village plans to sell the property, at 199 N. First St., to its southwest neighbor, Greek American Rehabilitation and Care Centre. The village would then lease the site from the new owner until an addition is complete at the rec center, Village Manager Jon Sfondilis said. Trustees should vote on the deal in the next month.

The proceeds from the sale of the senior center would help pay for construction costs at the rec center, Sfondilis said. The village would cover only the expenses directly related to a new senior center.