Indoor aquatics, more services on Naperville’s south side, and enhanced programs for seniors were among some of the key takeaways in the Naperville Park District’s recently completed indoor recreation space needs assessment that was unveiled at its most recent park board meeting.
The assessment has been a months-long process that spanned much of 2024. District officials gathered resident feedback through multiple avenues, including focus groups and surveys.
“The assessment is intended to guide the recreation needs of the community, while assisting staff and the board in determining the strategic direction regarding indoor space,” Executive Director Brad Wilson said.
What residents want
Regardless of the form of feedback, there were several recurring themes from people who weighed in on the park district’s short- and long-term indoor recreational space needs.
“When it comes to outside walking trails, a walking and jogging track has the greatest amount of interest among residents; health and fitness space is then right behind that,” Wilson said. “And then we get into a number of indoor aquatic-type facilities and overall interest in the community for those types of spaces.”
Having an indoor space for aquatics to compliment Centennial Beach as an outdoor site was a frequent request from respondents. Respondents gave strong support for a lap pool, warm water therapy, a pool for swim lessons and open swim and a water park. Nearly half of the respondents also supported a splash-spray park.
According to the report, 72% of a public sample indicated the highest willingness to pay for a multi-purpose activity center with a pool, while 48% of a random sample gave the same level of support.
Wilson said the response is a jumping off point for a deeper dive into gauging community support for funding a venue for indoor aquatics.
“When we talk about new indoor recreation space, and especially space that might include indoor aquatics, that is something that we would need to take to the community and have support from the community to be able to do,” Wilson said.
A possible bond referendum?
To realize any of the large-scale new amenities outlined in the indoor recreational space needs assessment, particularly in the area of aquatics, the district might need to attain resident approval for a bond referendum. But Wilson and other park district officials indicated it is too soon at this time to determine whether such a measure would be necessary.
Grants, sponsorships and non-referendum bonds are among some of the possible options on the table if the park district were to move forward on new construction for one of the new amenities outlined in the assessment.
One of the park district’s most recent large-scale projects — the Fort Hill Activity Center — was accomplished without a bond referendum, but Wilson indicated times have changed, in light of inflation.
“What we have seen in the industry is the overall cost has increased significantly,” he said. “Fort Hill would cost twice as much today to build as it was in 2016.”
Park Board weighs in on the indoor space assessment
The park board could vote on the assessment document at its next meeting on Dec. 12. But the recent presentation was an opportunity for several of the board’s commissioners to weigh in on the findings and data within the report.
Commissioner Rich Janor implored park district officials to explore the prospect of leasing an unused facility within the community in lieu of pursuing ground-up construction if any of the recommendations are pursued.
“You avoid the capital cost, you avoid the land acquisition headache, interest rate risk and all that,” Janor said. “I’d just like us to think about that if we can.”
Mary Gibson, president of the Park Board, said she was pleased with the level of participation from the community, which included the completion and submittal of 1,540 public surveys.
“That number just blows my mind, and it shows that the community is really engaged with the park district,” Gibson said. “I’m really excited about the path forward.
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!
