Construction is complete on the expansion project at Fort Hill Activity Center, 20 Fort Hill Drive in Naperville, and opened up approximately 4,000 square feet of space for group exercise classes. Dubbed “Studio D,” this new fitness space will make its official debut at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25. The community is invited to attend this special event, which will begin with a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are welcome to participate in a complimentary 45-minute yoga class with Meg’n Braida, light refreshments, and a drawing for a $50 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift certificate.
The expansion project began in late May with the goal to build an area on the second floor of Fort Hill Activity Center to create a large group exercise studio to accommodate the growing number of participants in several popular classes, which had outgrown the available studio space. The Studio D addition completes the last remaining space available for expansion at the facility.
Since its opening in August 2016, Fort Hill Activity Center has quickly become a center for healthy physical activity year round for all ages and abilities with approximately 9,000 fitness, track and open gym memberships and thousands more who participate each year in programs held at the facility. Financially self-sustaining, the facility has enabled the Park District to offer new basketball and gymnastics programs for kids, a variety of sports and programmed activities for adults, and state-of-the-art fitness space available through membership or on a daily fee basis.
“It’s exciting to see how Fort Hill Activity Center is fulfilling the vision that our board and staff had when building this facility,” said executive director Ray McGury. “On any day of the week, you can see parents grabbing a quick workout or enjoying a walk on the track while their kids are in their own classes, and there are seniors playing pickleball and then meeting up with friends, all under the same roof. It’s truly a community gathering place that helps people live a healthy lifestyle.”
Fort Hill has earned several awards for its design and construction and recently was voted the best family fitness center in Naperville by Glancer Magazine in the annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Past awards include Outstanding Facility Award from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (2018) and Public Works Project of the Year (2018) from the American Public Works Association.
—Naperville Park District