Gymnastics facility approved for 25 Lake

• Reprints

The Park District of Oak Park will hear presentations Thursday night of two proposed uses for the old Aldi store site, 25 Lake St.

Updated: February 27, 2012 8:33AM

The Park District of Oak Park will build a new gymnastics center on the former Aldi store site at 25 Lake.

At the Jan. 19 board meeting, park commissioners approved hiring Williams Architects to begin designing the building.

Park Board President Marty Bracco called the decision “a major milestone for the Park District.”

Very tentative plans call for the new gymnastics center to open in fall 2013.

“The Park District’s gymnastics program is extremely popular in our community, and we look forward to expanding program offerings to better serve the needs and interests of our residents,” Bracco said.

Since 2007, the park district has sought ways to meet the space demands of the popular gymnastics program. The current under-sized 218 Madison location serves an average of 1,400 students per year, with between 100 to 200 students on a waiting list.

After the park district purchased the 25 Lake property in October, it retained Williams Architects to conduct an evaluation of uses and needs at both the recommended construction of a new gymnastics center at the 25 Lake and the expansion of buildings and grounds operations at 218 Madison.

“A validation study of the spatial needs and probable costs for the gymnastics center and the buildings and grounds operations completed in January reinforced this recommendation,” the park district said in a press release.

“I’m very pleased that it’s moving forward and that we found a good resolution to that need,” said Executive Director Gary Balling.

The budget for both the 25 Lake project and the expansion of buildings and grounds at 218 Madison is $6.7 million. Following the purchase of 25 Lake, the park district contracted with Williams Architects to conduct an evaluation of facility usage options for both 25 Lake and 218 Madison.

When the gymnastics program vacates its space at 218 Madison, the park district’s buildings and grounds department will finally have sufficient space for its equipment, supply storage and work areas.

The park district is still working to address a need for significant additional outdoor bulk storage space for the buildings and grounds department.

Assistant Director/Superintendent of Recreation Matthew Ellmann said the decision to build new rather than renovate allows park district staff to plan holistically, based on the overall demands for gymnastic services and space.

“It will allow the District to provide a modernized facility that provides safer access for our participants with parking and a drop-off area,” Ellmann said. He said staff are currently working to contract for demolition of the former Aldi store, and to develop a time line for the construction.

Ellmann said a “very rough” timeline projects all requisite site work to be completed in July or August, with construction beginning as early as September.

“Our consultant expects construction to take about one year,” he said, adding, “A lot has to happen for that to stay on track.”

In the meantime, park district staff is conferring with an environmental consultant to plan environmental remediation of the site, which housed an auto mechanics garage prior to the grocery store being built in the 1970s.