Unofficial election results show good news for swimmers: Naperville residents appear supportive of a new indoor aquatics center and fitness facility at Frontier Sports Complex.
With 100% of precincts now reporting, 54.11% of voters in DuPage and 59.98% in Will County have voted in favor of a Naperville Park District bond referendum to fund the new space, which could be opened within about three years.
The referendum on the ballot during Tuesday’s primary election allows the park district to borrow $120 million for construction of the new facility, as well as land acquisition to support open space and trail expansion.
Expanding indoor swimming, recreation options
The new recreation facility is anticipated to house a long list of fitness options, including a gym with three multisport courts, a fitness center with cardio and weight equipment, an elevated track for walking or jogging, dance classrooms, a tumbling gym, an indoor playground, dedicated space for Western DuPage Special Recreation Association programming, and multipurpose rooms.
Planned aquatics amenities include a 25-yard lap pool with eight lanes, an activity pool with zero-depth entry and spray features, and a warm-water therapy pool.
Land the district already owns at Frontier Sports Complex, near both Neuqua Valley High School and the 95th Street Library, will be the home of the new facility.
Referendum funding also will help the district buy 5.7 acres of wooded land at Walnut Ridge Park, located near 87th Street and Naper Boulevard, and 6.5 acres of new land at Heritage Woods, located at 5th Avenue and Royal St. George Drive.
Image courtesy: Naperville Park District
Responding to requests for pools, south Naperville facilities
Park district officials say they’ve heard requests for indoor swimming facilities and more recreation space in south Naperville for the past couple of decades.
With Fort Hill Activity Center now 10 years old — and operating near capacity — park board commissioners decided late last year to ask the public for additional borrowing capabilities to build more indoor space.
The $120 million bond request that appears to have gained voter approval is scaled back from an original $135 million plan. Commissioners downsized the ask to focus only on projects rated favorably in opinion polling conducted last year through a consultant.
Referendum results in tax increase for 20-year bonds
The projected total tax increase because of the referendum is roughly $117 a year for the owner of a $500,000 home. Throughout the anticipated 20-year duration of the bonds, that amounts to a total increase of about $2,347.
Park district officials say this is the first time voters have approved a funding measure for improvements since the district was created in 1966.
The election results will not be official until April 7, when all mail-in and provisional ballots have been counted.
Image courtesy: Naperville Park District
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