PLAINFIELD – Attention, voters in the Plainfield Township Park District – renew now, and a new recreation center will be on its way.
The Nov. 8 referendum also would allow the park district to install lighting on some of the ballfields and update or replace playground equipment for as much or less than residents pay now.
“A referendum bond amount approved in 2001 will be retired next year,” Executive Director Carlo Capalbo said. “This referendum essentially keeps [the tax rate] the same.”
According to the park district, a $250,000 home was assessed at $208.18 in district taxes this year; $21.81 of that amount went toward the 2001 bond, and $21.81 would go to the 2016 bond.
The ballot question asks whether the park district, located in Will and Kendall counties, should improve neighborhood parks and facilities and build a new recreation center with bonds in the amount of $10.5 million.
“We have 1,300 acres of land, but we are facility-poor,” Capalbo said. “Our activities are more limited, especially during the winter months.”
Capalbo noted that the district holds as many programs as it’s able to at District 202 schools, but they aren’t available during the school day or when the buildings are closed during vacations.
If the referendum is approved, a $6.5 million recreation center would be constructed at Bott Park on Renwick Road.
The district also would add lighting at some ballfields and lighting and safety features in neighborhood parks. And the referendum bond would advance improvements recommended for various locations in the 2015 Master Plan.
“Nothing’s being taken away. Pass or fail, we will continue to be aggressive with replacing our older playground equipment,” Capalbo said. “But there’s an incredible benefit for everyone using our parks to get it approved [now].”