For 10 years, Fort Hill Activity Center has been a place for Naperville residents to move, play and connect.
The Naperville Park District will mark the milestone with a special celebration this Saturday, Aug. 22.
“We’re very excited to be celebrating our 10th anniversary here,” said Susan Buziecki, the park district’s superintendent of facilities. “I actually opened the building, so I’ve been here all 10 years, and it’s exciting to see the growth in the community and the friendships that were made out of people who belong here.”
Keeping Naperville active for 10 years
Fort Hill opened in August of 2016.
“There was community need based off of surveys that people had years ago, and they really wanted some indoor space, and so after much community outreach, this facility was designed and built,” Buziecki said.
But the center soon needed to accommodate the growing demand for group exercise classes, expanding its studios in 2019.
“I think that’s where you really see people connecting. They come to class, they build this little community,” Buziecki said.
That’s seen in the other spaces as well, whether the workout rooms, open gyms, indoor track, or gymnastics room.
“You’re seeing all ages and abilities coming here, making friendships, staying after class, connecting,” Buziecki said.
Anniversary weekend highlights health and wellness
To commemorate the anniversary, Fort Hill will offer free activities and amenities for guests this Saturday.
From 9 a.m. to noon, there will be free fitness classes, an A.I. photobooth, giveaways and drawings, and light refreshments.
Guests can also use the indoor track, indoor playground, gymnastics room, and a sensory room offered by Western DuPage Special Recreation Association for free.
“We’re just looking forward to seeing everybody,” Buziecki said. “It’s great that this is a multigenerational facility where so many different people come in.”
The future at Fort Hill
The activity center hopes to offer health and wellness opportunities to residents for years to come.
“I think the trend in the industry is everyone understands that they need to build muscle for longevity, and so some of our goals are longevity-related. Anybody of any ability can come in here and just want to feel better,” Buziecki said.
And any age group as well.
“The neatest things that I’ll see here are younger kids, maybe in their late teens, early 20s, and then you’ll see some older adults, perhaps in their 50s, 60s, 70s, playing basketball together, playing pickleball together, where they connect that to that,” Buziecki said. “It’s really exciting to see.”
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