'Grateful for every extra parking space': North Central College breaks ground on new parking pavilion
North Central College held the groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, but work already is well underway to build a much-needed parking pavilion on the Naperville campus.
By January, college officials said, construction is scheduled to be finished on the four-story structure on what was previously the site of the Merner Fieldhouse surface parking lot. The 530-space garage will represent a net gain of 427 parking spots on campus.
Several local dignitaries were on hand Wednesday to celebrate the start of the $20 million project.
North Central College President Anita Thomas, Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger and state Sen. Laura Ellman - who, along with state Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, helped secure $10 million in state funding for the project - all spoke of the benefits the parking pavilion will bring to the campus and the city.
"Having lived in Naperville for more than 20 years, I have gotten ever grateful for every extra parking space that we get," Ellman told the gathered crowd.
The pavilion, located southeast of the corner of Chicago Avenue and South Washington Street near Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, will undergo the bulk of construction from now through December.
With the dense commercial activity just blocks away, officials expect the added spaces to alleviate some of the parking shortage in downtown Naperville.
"The pavilion will free up street spaces in the surrounding area for those wanting to visit downtown to shop or dine," Krieger said.
The $10 million from the state will be funded through the Illinois Board of Higher Education as part of the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital plan signed into law in 2019 by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
"As an involved member of my campus community, I've heard the complaints, seen the confusion and the circling of cars around the Naperville area," said Paige Kozial, who will be a North Central College senior in the fall. "The campus and myself are looking forward to this great parking pavilion."