Naperville Park District could ask voters for $135 million to build rec center, improve other sites

The Naperville Park District opened its first large-scale community activity center less than a decade ago with basketball courts, gymnastics space, a fitness center and a walking-jogging track all under one roof.

The Fort Hill Activity Center is just that: a beehive of activity. Last year alone, the youth gymnastics programs at Fort Hill had over 1,000 participants on wait lists. And Naperville itself has been growing. U.S. Census Bureau estimates released earlier this year had Naperville topping Joliet as the third-largest municipality in the state.

“There's a number of programs offered by the park district for indoor recreation where we're seeing capacity challenges, and we're not able to meet the demand from the community right now,” Executive Director Brad Wilson said.

With resident surveys consistently showing a desire for more indoor rec space, the park district has proposed a new activity center on the south side of Naperville — an area of growth. But to make the project a reality, the district would need to seek voter approval to borrow money for the construction.

A potential March ballot question would ask voters to authorize the district to issue $135 million in bonds to build the activity center at the Frontier Sports Complex, as well as complete major improvements to various parks, acquire some additional land and install refrigerated, outdoor ice rinks.

The referendum proposal also would have the park district making a splash: A conceptual plan for the new building includes three types of indoor pools.

The district only operates a seasonal swimming facility: Centennial Beach.

“So we rely completely on the high schools for pool space. And unfortunately … they have high demands with their own program, so there's limited availability there,” Andrea Coates, the agency’s recreation and facilities director, said in a park district podcast series.

Diving into the proposal

Through the years, an indoor park district swimming pool has been perennially floated in Naperville.

“We've actually seen reference to indoor aquatics and that conversation dating back to the 1970s with the park district,” Wilson said.

In recent years, several facilities with indoor pools closed: the Kroehler Family YMCA, a fitness center on the main Edward Hospital campus and an LA Fitness.

Officials saw a “surge in just the number of residents reaching out to the park district and an interest in the park district working to address indoor aquatics,” Wilson said.

The ground floor of the new building would offer an eight-lane by 25-yard lap pool; an activity pool with a family-friendly water slide, play features and three additional lap lanes; and a warm-water therapy pool that could serve water fitness programs and people with special needs.

“We want to propose it to residents, gather additional feedback and see if it's something that the community would look to support,” Wilson said.

The park district is holding a series of open houses this month — the next event is Oct. 11, at its South Maintenance Facility — on the possible projects and funding request.

A public opinion mail survey will also be sent to all registered voter households in the district later this fall.

If the question is placed on the ballot and voters approve it, the owner of a $500,000 home would pay an estimated $139 more a year in property taxes to the park district. The estimate is based on debt financing with a term of up to 20 years, and the homeowner being eligible for a homestead exemption.

The district was able to complete the construction of Fort Hill on the north side of town using non-referendum funding.

But since then, “overall capital costs for not only building facilities, but maintaining facilities, parks, playgrounds, so on, has increased significantly,” Wilson said.

Programs at Fort Hill, meanwhile, are in high demand.

“We have over 9,500 members that are participating in fitness at Fort Hill, and many of our group exercise classes, especially during the colder months, in the fall, winter and spring, fill to capacity and have wait lists as well,” Wilson said.

‘Significant growth’

The property at the Frontier Sports Complex was chosen as the site of the proposed new building because the district already owns it. And there's been “significant growth in south Naperville over the last several years, with some larger subdivisions being built there,” Wilson said.

It was also master planned as a potential site for an indoor recreation space that would complement the 95th Street Library, the Neuqua Valley High School campus and other park amenities.

The concept calls for a roughly 138,000-square-foot building that would also house additional gymnasium space, a fitness center, an indoor playground and a walking-jogging track.

One of the other significant projects under the plan? Improvements at Country Lakes Park. The district proposes expanded trails, a lighted cricket field, six pickleball courts, a sand volleyball court, a renovated basketball area, new shelters and a permanent restroom building, a new parking lot, and a connection to the traffic signal on North Aurora Road.

Nike Sports Complex would also get a renovated playground and a new water play area, a new shade shelter near the existing cricket field, upgraded ball fields with synthetic turf infields and a “ninja-style” challenge course.

The park board would have to pass a resolution in December to put a question on the March primary ballots.