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WEST CHICAGO – The new ARC Center in West Chicago is a far cry from the former hardware store where the West Chicago Park District previously ran its Fitness Station and the old bank building where the administration offices were housed.
It is a mix of high-tech fitness equipment, bold colors, steel and stone framework, an abundance of windows that allow for natural sunlight and a four-story indoor tree house.
The $15.5 million, 70,000-square-foot recreation center opened its doors Sept. 6 with a ribbon cutting and open house. Located on the grounds of Reed-Keppler Park at 201 W. National St., the ARC Center contains administrative offices, meeting rooms and expansive fitness facilities.
“It’s a very big step up for the Park District and offers an opportunity to offer activities for the community,” Executive Director Gary Major said.
The ARC Center, an acronym for “athletics, recreation, community,” replaces a baseball field but offers the community more multipurpose opportunities. There is an 8,500-square-foot fitness center with elliptical machines, treadmills with mounted TVs, row machines and Lateral X equipment.
Basketball aficionados may appreciate the three-court gym, while those who would rather watch basketball than participate may view a game from the second-floor walking/running track that encircles the courts.
The multipurpose activity gym, or MAC gym, has a rubber floor that will be used for gymnastics, karate and wrestling activities. Other activity rooms include a dance studio, spin room and fitness studio.
“It is beautiful,” Mayor Ruben Pineda said. “The programs are amazing. The indoor track is great, which I will be utilizing this winter. Everyone has been asking for this, especially the seniors. The seniors now have a place to go to meet and to walk, so it’s a great, great thing.”
Throughout the ARC Center are wooden benches with storage cubes that have a particular significance to the Park District. The benches are made from the about 200 trees destroyed in the summer storm of 2012 that wreaked havoc in Reed-Keppler Park, Major said. A local craftsman milled the trees into lumber, then a woodworker in Elk Grove Village turned the lumber into benches and a conference table, he added.
Available for rent to the community are two meeting rooms with access to a kitchen, as well as a party room for children’s birthday parties. The party room is conveniently located near the four-story tree house, complete with wavy slides and a jungle-gym activity set. The 3,500-square-foot space also includes a toddler playground, computer station, and an arts and crafts area.
The ARC Center began construction in August 2013 after voters approved a referendum. The idea for the center was born about seven years ago, Major said, but it lost in a referendum in April 2012. After some reworking of the projected costs, the referendum passed a few months later in November, he said.
“It is the largest investment and largest project the Park District has ever undertaken, and it only happened because the community supported it,” Major said. “It’s been a long road and a great ride, and we are excited about opening the doors.”
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Know more
For more information about the ARC Center, go to we-goparks.org or call 630-231-9474.