Village, park district want unified Town Center
As work progresses on the new $18 million Carol Stream Park District recreation center near the village-owned Ross Ferraro Town Center, officials from both governmental agencies want to ensure the area reflects a unified community spot.
That was the sentiment expressed by members of both the village and park district boards during a joint meeting Monday to discuss plans for shared signage at the Town Center, located at Lies Road and Gary Avenue.
There's currently two signs on site, which were installed in 2004 - one at Fountain View Drive and Gary, and the other at Fountain View and Lies.
One scenario presented by the village's community development department would be to grind down the existing writing on the sign - "Ross Ferraro Town Center Carol Stream" - to have room to insert the official name of the rec center once it is chosen this summer. The village also proposed adding electronic changeable copy message panels that could be used to promote events at the Town Center.
Park board President Brenda Gramann said many residents she's talked to don't differentiate between the village and park district.
"Residents know it as Carol Stream. That's something I would like to see reflected in the signage - it's about Carol Stream," Gramann said.
The six acres on which the new rec center will sit was village-owned property until the park district purchased it for $1.6 million in February 2011.
"While the park district has its property and the village has its property, together it becomes the Town Center," Village trustee Don Weiss said. "We wanna make it look like it goes together."
The village and park district will request a proposal from Williams Architects for signage work at the Town Center.
The two-story, 90,846-square-foot recreation center is part of a $37 million parks improvement program approved by voters in a February 2010 referendum. The facility will feature a three-court gymnasium, 25-yard swimming pool, fitness center, running track and program rooms.
The four walls that will make the new gym were installed earlier this month, and its roof is scheduled to be installed by July. Underground work is now taking place in the pool area. The entire building shell should be up by the end of the year, officials said Monday.
A "soft opening" is scheduled for June 2013, and a grand opening will take place in the fall.