The Park District of La Grange reports that the construction of a new fitness center is well underway.
“We’re about 35 to 40 percent into the construction already,” said park district director Dean Bissias.
The $2.2 million center is taking shape at 536 East Ave.
“We’re doing the roof and putting in skylights. The concrete floors have been poured,” Bissias said.
More Top Picks Best Vlogging Kits For Beginners
The construction of the 15,000-squarefoot center is being overseen by W.B. Olson Inc. of Northbrook. Bissias said the good weather has helped the construction work to progress smoothly.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been perfect,” he said.
He said the district is on track to open the center in August or September. The district plans in the next few weeks to start to hire staff that will include a full-time supervisor, day manager and trainers. Most of the staff will be part-time, he said.
He said the district also is poised to start to order equipment that will take between two and four months to deliver. The fitness center is being constructed in an area that formerly was used for storage, and will have a variety of amenities.
“It’s going to have cardio and weights, a yoga room with a heated floor and a spin room,” he said.
The park district expects to finalize this month how much it will charge residents for membership. Bissias said the district is considering $24 a month for a single membership and $48 a month for a couple.
He said the district expects a large number of people to be interested in becoming members. It will be a few months before the district starts signing up members, he said.
“We’re looking at 1,200 to 1,500 members, plus,” he said. “With the construction noise a lot of people are asking what’s going on and when staff tells them they say ‘Oh. That’s wonderful.'”
The district received a $987,000 state grant to pay for part of the cost of the fitness center. The district learned in the fall that the Park and Recreational Fitness Grant that had been put on hold due to the state’s budget problems had been restored, which enabled the project that was delayed for a couple years to move forward starting this year.
Twitter @triblocalam