Carol Stream Park District reminded to be cautious with rec center plans

With a $37 million referendum passed in February, the Carol Stream Park District is starting to aim high in its plans for a new state-of-the-art recreation center. However, as some board commissioners expressed interest in a third basketball court to be added to the new facility floor plans, which were presented by the park district's architects at a board meeting Monday, consultant Steve Ravanesi cautioned against it.

"By adding floor space, you are taking away from something else you can't do," he said. "You need to realize that it's not an endless resource. If you add a third court to the gym, it doesn't come cheap."

After months of negotiating a deal to buy six acres of land from the village, board commissioners received their first glimpse at floor plans and an overall site plan for the new $18 million rec center.

The three floor plans all included similar amenities, such as an indoor competitive pool, a large gymnasium holding two high school-sized basketball courts and a running track above the gym. But final schematic drawings are expected to incorporate designs and layouts from all three.

The building, which is expected to end up costing about $18 million, was the focus of the meeting, but Ravanesi reminded board members of the several projects they want to complete using the referendum money.

"That's $2 million you can't do on trails, parks or something else," he said of an estimated price tag that would come along with a gymnasium expansion. "It's a balancing act. You have to ask yourself, 'Do you want to spend 70 percent of the referendum on the recreation center?'"

Executive Director Arnie Biondo said the planning stage is the fun part, but he said Ravanesi's point was on target.

"We have got to buy the building that fits our budget," he said after the meeting.

With no plans to level Simkus Recreation Center, Biondo said a lot of the heavy traffic days that might have led to the suggestion of adding a third basketball court could be alleviated by creative scheduling.

The recreation center is expected to be the crown jewel of the referendum that passed handily on Feb. 2. Last week, village officials approved the sale of six acres to the park district for $1.6 million. The land is located just south of Town Center on the corner of Lies Road and Gary Avenue.

Board President Tim Powers said being careful with the money remains a high priority for the board.

"Because we have finite funds, we have to deal with all of our capital improvement projects," he said. "We have to balance that." To track the progress of the referendum projects, visit www.csparks.org/referendum.