The Naperville Park District officially opened its doors to the Fort Hill Activity Center Saturday, calling it the most ambitious project in its history that includes nearly 80,000 square feet of space, more than a dozen activity areas, and a price tag of approximately $24 million.
Residents Deepa Chittal and her husband, Jay, were looking forward to Saturday’s grand opening.
“I’ve already bought a membership because it’s all about fitness for me,” said Deepa Chittal, of Naperville. “I enjoy a group exercise program and I’ve belonged to the YMCA for a long time, but now I’ve found a new home.”
“I usually let my wife check things out first, so I’m going to wait and see what she says,” Jay Chittal said. “That’s usually how we do things – I let her go first. She’s the guinea pig.”
Saturday’s open house, which was part of the park district’s 50th anniversary celebration included use of the children’s indoor playground, visitors walking the indoor track, and shooting some baskets on the main gym floor. The café offered samples from its menu, and community sponsors provided other refreshments as well as giveaways and some raffle prizes.
“This will allow us to offer workshops for parents while kids can use the space here,” said McBroom, president of Kids Matter. “This facility gives us a wider net to help parents build confidence and a sense of well-being.”
McBroom said the new facility “offers an opportunity for non-profits to partner with the Park District and help kids and parents.”
Naperville resident Carl Skrabacz, a member of the Senior Task Force Advocate group, said the Fort Hill facility will allow seniors to mix things up a little.
“We have a lot of seniors doing things at the Reuben Center, but they aren’t involved with a lot of other age groups,” Skrabacz said. “It’s important seniors see others than their own peer group – we need to mix it up a little.”
Naperville Park District Executive director Ray McGury was clearly glad this day had finally come and his message was simple.
“I want to thank this community and the taxpayers for supporting this, because without them – we don’t do this,” McGury said. “A few years ago, there were people using the word ‘sell’ in regards to this. We didn’t sell anything. I told the truth regarding our needs, and at the end of the day, there was not a huge outcry about what we wanted to do – there was little, if any.
“The facts were people wanted indoor space, and I can’t thank the community enough for this,” McGury added. “When I greeted the first official visitors that came through the door here the other day and saw the smiles on their face – that was enough.”
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Board president Rich Janor said he and other board members “were hopeful and confident the facility would become a hub for fitness and recreation” for many years to come.
“Hopefully this will serve us at least another 50 years, since that’s what architects typically say is the longevity of a building like this,” Janor said. “The most satisfying thing about this becoming a reality will be to see it fully utilized with residents and members. A building is just a building until you see it full to capacity and operating on all cylinders.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.