Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger joined several city council members as well as members of the Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) community on Saturday to gather for a groundbreaking in honor of the start of construction of a new mosque at 3540 248th Avenue.
“It’s an absolute privilege and honor for me to represent the mayor, city council and the entire city as we celebrate the groundbreaking of ICN’s new mosque,” said Krieger.
Groundbreaking Historical Moment
“This is a historical moment,” said ICN President Kashif Fakhruddin. “Here we are on the site of the fourth center to continue to serve our beautiful city.”
The new site was a long time coming, undergoing 10 months in discussion at Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, with more than 500 public comments in consideration. The approved mosque project includes several phases, the first of which is the construction of a 28,400 square foot mosque, which will include a prayer area for 457 people.
“This project has brought our community closer together,” said Fakhruddin. He added, “We hope that with this fourth location, we will continue to contribute in many of these services to the larger community.”
More Phases Planned
Later phases planned for the 13-acre site will include a school, multi-purpose hall, gymnasium and expansion to the mosque over a 40-year span. Most of those additional phases will not take place until the expansion of 248th Avenue is completed and the city gives additional review. But Saturday’s groundbreaking was a welcome start for the ICN community for what’s to come.
Start of New Future for ICN
“This groundbreaking is more than just a symbolic gesture of what’s physically come to this space. It’s a start of the expanded future of ICN. And a symbol of hope for our entire community,” said Krieger.
Families were invited to take photos at the groundbreaking before heading back to the Ogden facility for more festivities. There, they were also offered the chance to purchase bricks that will be used in the building of the mosque, to leave their permanent mark on the project.
For Naperville News 17, I’m Kim Pirc.
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