Tuesday, Feb. 18

 

Park district begins demolition
for construction project

[FEB. 18, 2003]  Demolition started Monday to make way for construction of new courts and exercise rooms at the Lincoln Park District. Also as part of the project some areas of the indoor sports complex will be renovated.

First to be torn up was the sports complex entrance, so all patrons must now use the main entry off Primm Road. Next, the east gym and weight room will be demolished. Then comes the construction. The current line of tennis and basketball courts will be extended, and new air-conditioned cardio fitness and weight areas will be built.

Hein Construction of Peoria is the contractor.

Plans show a tennis court, basketball court and two basketball-volleyball courts in place of the current three courts. In addition, the area will be realigned to make the courts larger. Marcia Greenslate, executive director for the park district, said all present courts will be resurfaced, but the exact composition of one floor is yet to be decided. It may be for basketball only, or it may be playable for either basketball or tennis. Surfaces suitable for both sports are tough to find, Greenslate cautioned, but park district officials are trying to accommodate as many needs as possible.

Other changes include a new pool filtration system and completely renovated locker rooms. In timing, these come first so as to be ready for the swim season, beginning at the end of May. In fact, the filtration system is already in place and merely needs to be hooked up.

 

On March 3, after Junior Railer basketball and other scheduled events finish, Shawgo Construction of Lincoln will begin tearing down the weight room and gym. It is expected to take three weeks to demolish the original sports complex. Equipment will be moved about Feb. 26 to the front office area and will remain there until completion of the project, scheduled for Nov. 30. Cardio equipment will occupy the former ceramics room; weight equipment, the Railer Room and free weights will be just outside the lobby double doors.

Other facilities will be out of commission for far shorter periods. For example, changes to the aerobics room are expected to take three to four days, so activity will be disrupted for less than a week, Greenslate said.

Farnsworth Group of Peoria is the architect. The firm designed the Pontiac recreation center, which Greenslate described as "a super facility." Plans for the Lincoln project are on display in the park district lobby.

The $1.7 million project will be paid for with debt certificates. Greenslate likened them to a home equity loan, with the district pledging its non-referendum bonding power to pay off the certificates in 10 years.

Real estate taxes will go up -- about $50 on a $100,000 house, Greenslate said. She explained that tax caps do not apply to the district's ability to issue bonds, which is regulated by the Illinois Park District Code. Kevin Heid, vice president of First Midstate investment bankers in Bloomington, said: "The park district has the ability to issue non-referendum bonds provided the amount of the bonds does not exceed the district's legal limit for such issuance of .575 percent of the district's total equalized assessed valuation, and the annual tax levies for principal and interest repayment do not exceed the district's debt service extension base ($587,064)."

Although structural needs are the reason for the project, current low interest rates dictate the timing. Greenslate explained that the district would not get as much for the money if the project were tackled piecemeal. Almost certainly in such a case, some parts would be financed at higher interest rates.

At one time the five-member Lincoln Park District Board of Commissioners considered a referendum to increase district funding and give more options, but board members scaled back in response to public opinion. A news release signed by board president Clarence Barney, Jr., and other members John Andrews, Greg Curry, Dave Perring and Jim Sparrow states: "The proposed work has been substantially altered to account for community concerns regarding budget while at the same time doing what needs to be done to keep the facility in acceptable order."

 

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New building plans

Plans call for building 20,000 square feet and demolishing 21,000 square feet. Though the end result is 1,000 square feet smaller, it is more efficiently arranged, Greenslate said. For example, locker rooms, deemed larger than needed, will lose some square footage to mechanical storage.

The handball court and small climbing wall will be eliminated. Greenslate said they are not used frequently enough to justify the space. In addition, district officials do not think the court can be moved.

Existing facilities and wish-list items all face the same questions of use, space and cost. The BMX trail installed last year has had tremendous use for little money and will be retained. On the other hand, covering the swimming pool is cost-prohibitive, Greenslate said, but officials were happy to learn that the 36-year-old pool is probably good for another 15 years.

Some facilities will be reshaped or rearranged. The aerobics room will be extended toward the new cardio and weight areas. The sauna will be moved next to the new family changing area. And entry to the sports complex will move slightly north of the present location.

Greenslate said the reception desk will feature a card swipe system, which can immediately tell whether a patron's membership is current. The whole membership system can then be reconsidered. All memberships now expire on Dec. 31, but Greenslate expects in the future to be able to offer choice of membership length.

 


[Photo by Lynn Spellman]
Demolition began Monday, Feb. 17, in the sports complex entry.

Though big decisions regarding the layout of the sports complex are made, a few smaller choices for the interior remain. Greenslate said one decision is how many of the courts the walking and jogging track will surround. Another is what equipment will be purchased for the cardio area and weight room. User surveys suggest more treadmills and some weight equipment geared to novices. A third option is whether to provide an entertainment feed with individual controls so all exercisers do not have to watch the same TV show.

According to Greenslate, the building project is part of a larger 10-year plan to meet needs of the park district as a whole. It includes construction of two softball diamonds south of the park district building, a concession stand and electrical improvements. In addition, a new maintenance shop at the far south side of the property may one day allow for a skate park where the shop now stands.

Each year the park district tries to install new equipment in one park. Last year this was put on hold pending the larger building plans, but this year Lehn & Fink Park on Pekin Street will be upgraded. Concerning other parks, Greenslate said Postville Park on Fifth Street presents a problem because it is city-owned but maintained by the park district. Memorial Park is another concern. "It's so beautiful," Greenslate explained, but it is difficult to improve because of vandalism. Even bathrooms have been torn up, so the park district puts in portable toilets in the summer

"Overall," Greenslate concluded, "we're trying to improve what we have, answering community demands as best we can."

[Lynn Spellman]

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