At the November 2019 meeting the Batavia Park Board voted on a resolution to place a $27.1 Million bond referendum on the March 17 ballot to acquire the land, build, and equip the construction of a 65,100-square-foot recreational facility.
Batavia Park District has a legacy of delivering a wide variety of quality recreational programs and experiences, however, the lack of indoor recreation space is limiting the delivery of services. Extensive community engagement and planning helped identify residents’ need for indoor space and the Park District considers the addition of a new recreation center an important priority as a quality of life enhancement for the residents in which it serves. It led to the conceptual development of the Batavia Activity & Recreation Center (the BARC).
The proposed indoor, multi-generational facility would feature an eight-lane swimming pool, a year-round, multi-plex, to include a combination of indoor turf area, multi-activity court gymnasium, indoor walking/running track. The facility would include a wellness area designed for group fitness and cardio equipment, and multi-purpose rooms for multi-generational programming.
The location of the facility is in the Fox Valley Business Park, off of Route 25 (River Street) at the corner of Belleview Lane and Oswalt Avenue in Batavia. The Illinois Prairie Path runs adjacent to the site location that will make for easy connectivity to the Fox River Trail. The site location recently was announced due to non-disclosure agreements with multiple landowners related to land acquisition negotiations.
If passed, the bond referendum would result in an annual tax increase of approximately $59.38 per $100,000 of assessed home value for a period of 20 years, which breaks down to roughly $5 per month. Residents of the district can look at their tax bill or visit kanecountyassessments.org.
The public is invited to attend the upcoming information meetings Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., in the Civic Center Bart Room, 327 W. Wilson; Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m., at the Eastside Community Center’s Shannon Hall, 14 N. Van Buren Street; and Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m., at the Peg Bond Center, 151 N. Island Avenue. Election Day is March 17.
For more information go to bataviaparks.org/2020-referendum.
—Batavia Park District