Parkview Christian to purchase Club 47 in 2017

Parkview Christian Academy recently agreed to purchase the Club 47 Fitness building in Yorkville to meet expanding enrollment.

Parkview Christian Academy's Superintendent Deborah Benson said the school has entered into a contract to purchase the club building on July 1, 2017. Members of the health club will still be able to use the facility until that date, Benson said.

Parkview is purchasing the building from Ron Walker of Walker Custom Homes for an undisclosed amount of money.

The Christian school has classrooms in the club facility and at the former Yorkville High School building at Center Parkway in downtown Yorkville. Taking over Club 47 would be an expansion for Parkview. The school currently operates five classrooms in the building and plans to open an additional four before the start of the next school year. They have been leasing space in the building for a few years. Once the school acquires the Club 47 building over they will occupy all of the approximately 42,000 square feet of the facility.

Parkview will be celebrating its 20th anniversary next year, having opened at New Life Church in 1997. Benson has been with the school since 2013.

“We started with eight students and every year they would reclaim another room until we are bursting out now,” she said. “Well, more than bursting out because we have 70 students at another location already. We've been growing at every grade level for two or three years now.”

The private Christian school has seen it's enrollment grow in recent years as well. In the 2013-14 school year Benson said the school had 208 students and this school year 325 students were enrolled.

The Center Street Campus will remain as a pre-school and early elementary school, which goes up to sixth grade. Once the Club 47 purchase is complete the building will house the fifth grade through 12th grade.

Why is the enrollment increasing now? Benson admits “that's a really big question.”

She noted that the school has obtained academic accreditation from Christian School International and from the public North Central Association. Gaining those two accreditations was a big priority, Benson noted.

“I think that gives credibility to parents from an academic standpoint,” she said. “We are true to the mission of being a Christian school,” she said, adding that at the same time they are able to uphold a high academic standard.

Benson explained that Parkview tries to be inclusive so it is not a requirement that students be Christian or practice the faith.

“We want to give everybody a good education that wants to come here,” she said.

While they are excited about buying the Club 47 building, Benson said that the school still wants to grow within their means.

“We feel that theses two locations, when they are filled, will meet the needs of this community's population,” Benson said. “We're not trying to get to 2,000 students because we don't believe this broader community will support that.”

In addition to the purchase of Club 47 also recently received 17 acres from an anonymous donor for athletic fields at Ament Road and Route 47, south of Yorkville.

“Having that building is very exciting but we still want soccer fields and baseball fields for the athletic program,” she said.