Batavia Park District to ask voters for $27.1 million in bonds to fund activity center

Editor's note: The amount of property taxes the owner of a $300,000 house in Batavia pays to the park district was wrong in the original story. The owner of such a home now pays $556 to the district. If voters approve the referendum question, the tax bill for the same homeowner will increase by $178 a year.

Batavia Park District will ask voters in March to approve a request to issue roughly $27.1 million in bonds to finance construction of a 65,000-square-foot activity center that would include an indoor pool, indoor turf fields, gym space and a track.

If voters support the plan in the March 17 referendum, it would boost park district property taxes for the owner of a $300,000 home by roughly $178 a year for each of the next 20. The same homeowner now pays $556 a year to the district.

Plans for the Batavia Multiplex Activity Center were developed while analyzing feedback from residents through surveys, listening tours, public polling and community workshops, park district Executive Director Allison Niemela said.

"We're doing our due diligence," Niemela said. "We want to make sure this is something the public wants."

The park district has "grown up" over the years, park board President Patrick Callahan said, "but our facilities don't reflect that."

During a workshop last month, representatives from Williams Architects, who will be designing the project, presented plans for four different recreational facilities. The option featuring an eight-lane pool and a combination turf and court area received the most support, said Tom Poulos of Williams Architects.

"We took everything we heard and created a single design," he said.

Officials say preliminary cost estimates for the project set the price at more than $28 million. The plans also would allow for future expansion.

A community survey showed an indoor pool topped residents' priorities followed by indoor turf fields, gym space and a track. There also was interest in creating a gathering space for socializing and events.

The facility needs to be the "center of the community," Poulos said, with space that is multigenerational and all inclusive. It also needs to be environmentally and financially sustainable with some multiple-use areas, such as a party room that could be used for child care during the day.

"It should promote lifelong learning," he said.

Nick Deardorf of PROS Consulting said a study of the Batavia population showed a community filled with families and seniors that could support an activity facility. The building would need to include space for walking, basketball, indoor soccer and the fast-growing sport pickleball.

The operational plan is for the facility to be program-driven as opposed to membership-driven, Deardorf said. It would not offer all-inclusive memberships but would have seasonal memberships available along with daily fees for residents and nonresidents. The activity center would operate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, 353 days a year.

Park board Vice President John Tilmon said after more than 20 years of being involved in the park district, he feels the time is right for an activity center.

"The programing has been extremely strong, the staff has been extremely strong, but the facilities have been light," he said.

Before the resolution passed unanimously, Callahan said it was a vote the board didn't "take lightly." He said members have a clear understanding of what residents want.

"The community did a terrific job of giving us an unvarnished opinion," he said.

The plan is "consistent with our values," Callahan said. "It's about families."