Expanded Indoor Recreation Coming by 2027!
TRIA Architects has finalized and presented conceptual plans for the expanded Recreation Center at 1501 Barnsdale Road at the March 10 Regular Meeting of the Community Park District Board of Park Commissioners. Click here to download the PDF of the March 2025 presentation. 
Updates:
- March 20, 2025 - The park district has submitted a site plan application as well as variation applications for landscaping, parking, setback, and height to the Village of La Grange Park. The Village will review and schedule a public hearing for the variation requests.
Check back here for the most up to date information on the Community Park District Recreation Center Expansion Project! Historical information can be found here.
Timeline: We anticipate breaking ground on this project in September of 2025 and opening the doors in October of 2026.
Construction Impact: We are carefully planning for parking and program logistics, and will work to communicate any program impact - especially for Ready Teddy and Summer Camp. We do not expect to have to interrupt normal operations during construction.
This project includes:
- The addition of a gymnasium with flexible recreation space and presentation stage
- New ADA accessible concession area and restrooms with outdoor access
- New lobby with play space, study nooks, and programming opportunities (see drawing below)
- Elevated indoor walking track
- Elevator
- Improved security
- Dedicated entrance for preschool and summer camp
- Infrastructure for a green roof with recreational space to be added in phase 2
- Infrastructure for second floor offices and meeting spaces to be added in phase 2
When will the district begin working on Phase 2?
Initial projections indicate that the Community Park District may begin planning phase 2 as early as 2028.
Funding and Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Why is the Community Park District of La Grange Park expanding the existing Recreation Center?
A: Increased indoor recreational space has been identified as an expressed need of our community since the 1990s. Expanded indoor recreational space would allow the Community Park District to provide essential recreational services to our residents and generate additional revenue to maintain our parks and facilities.
The park district has always relied on school district to provide access to indoor space for programs such as Footlight Players Youth Theater, the Women’s Volleyball League, Men’s Wiffleball League, Adult Pickleball Leagues, youth sports, and more. Moreover, many residents must pay nonresident fees to access recreational activities in surrounding towns. In fact, our residents invest up to and over $500,000 annually at the Park District of Lagrange alone. This is revenue that is reinvested right back into the parks and facilities in that community.
Q: Didn’t residents vote “No” to expand the Recreation Center?
A: The Community Park District of La Grange Park had two measures on the April 4, 2023 ballot – One was asking voters to approve a $10.7 million referendum bond that would temporarily increase taxes to expand the recreation center. This measure passed.
The second measure asked residents to approve a permanent tax rate increase that would generate $150,000 annually in perpetuity to offset the start-up costs for the rec center and then to be allocated for annual park maintenance. This measure failed.
Q: Did the park district say both measures had to pass to be able to move forward with the project?
A: Yes. As the Community Park District Board of Commissioners planned to go to referendum in 2022, we were utilizing operational revenue data from 2013-2021. From FYE 2015-2019, the Community Park District’s recreation fund was losing anywhere from $20,000-$94,000 annually and the district never generated more than $552,000 in program fees. In 2020 and 2021, the park district’s capacity to generate program revenue was even further limited to the COVID-19 crisis response. In 2022, the Community Park District Board of Commissioners believed it was not fiscally responsible to expand the recreation center without additional operating revenue. By FYE April 30, 2024, the Recreation Fund had generated more than $784,000 in program fees and nearly $826,000 in non-tax revenue. This means the district is capable of generating $124,000 more than it originally asked for during the referendum, eliminating the need to ask voters for more funding.
Q: Why is the park district moving forward with this project now?
A: When the permanent tax rate increase was rejected, residents continued to voice their support and need for the expansion of the recreation center. Residents and park users continued to ask for increased space for programming, improved building security, and the ability to offer adult, senior, and youth programming simultaneously. With the COVID-19 crisis behind us, and a new catalog of programming that included a K-5 summer day camp and Pickleball programming for all ages, program revenue increased, which was anticipated. However, the rate of the increase was unexpected.
After residents rejected the permanent tax rate increase in April of 2023, the park board discussed the possibility of going back out for a tax rate increase during our open meetings from May-December. The board also asked the Executive Director to continue to analyze revenue and market trends. In April 30 of 2023, the Community Park District’s Recreation Fund generated over $700,000 in program fees and other revenue, and demand for our programs continued to rise. In the Fall of 2023, Park Jr. High was unable to provide the space needed for our Adult Pickleball program, and we had to reduce the number of offerings for the season. In February of 2024, our Summer Camp program sold out in 45 minutes.
Ultimately, by February 2024, the Community Park District Board realized that with increased demand, improved services, and the full emergence from COVID-19 mitigations, the park district was generating more revenue than it had asked for during the referendum, and did not need to impose a permanent tax rate increase to move forward with the Recreation Center Expansion.
By FYE April 30, 2024, the Recreation Fund had generated more than $784,000 in program fees and nearly $826,000 in non-tax revenue. Plus, new agreements with our affiliate partners such as La Grange Park Little League brought new financial support to our Corporate Fund for park maintenance.
Ultimately, improved operations and fiscal responsibility have eliminated the district's need to impose a permanent tax rate increase to off-set the start up and operating costs for the expansion project. In fact, based on initial projections, the district hopes to be able to begin planning phase 2 which will include a renovation of the existing Ready Teddy Preschool wing, and the completion of the green roof with recreational space as early as 2028.