Seniors say keep the fitness center at KCC

KANKAKEE – Residents are flexing their muscles in an attempt to keep the Kankakee Community College’s fitness center right where it is.

At Monday’s Kankakee Valley Park District’s monthly meeting, the ongoing discussion between KCC and the Kankakee Valley Park District were brought to the surface by fitness center members.

Already an item on the meeting agenda, approximately 12 people, mainly seniors, were on hand about the center’s future at Ice Valley Centre Ice Arena.

The fitness center has been inside Ice Valley since it opened in 2005.

Prior to then, the fitness center was a part of the main campus. It is open to residents of the KCC district.

Since this past year, KVPD and KCC have been discussing terms for an annual rental agreement.

Kankakee Community College President Michael Boyd said the two sides have had “friendly conversations.”

“We are happy to continue our partnership,” Boyd said. “This is a community college, and we enjoy providing a fitness center to the students, student-athletes and residents of the district.”

So senior members of the fitness center came to voice their concerns.

Amy Ciaccio-Jarvis was one of two people to talk during public comment.

Ciaccio-Jarvis said the fitness center is an intergenerational workout place.

“We have students there. We have disabled [people there]. We have veterans, seniors,” Ciaccio-Jarvis said. ”We see people getting rehabbed out of strokes. And I also see it as an intergovernmental partnership.

“KCC and the Park District, it’s a wonderful thing. If the partnership would dissolve, it would really impact negatively a lot of seniors. What we see going on there, it’s been there for a long time.”

Chester Ciotuszynski echoed Ciaccio-Jarvis’ comments of the different generations working out side-by-side.

“The facility there offers seniors a great golden opportunity,” Ciotuszynski said.

“I had two knee replacements. I worked out there before the replacements and afterwards, and I’m doing fairly good. And to lose that, and like [Ciaccio-Jarvis] said, you have young people, older people. We blend in well.

“We learn from each other. And it gives us a thought of what we used to be.”

Like Ciaccio-Jarvis, Ciotuszynski mentioned paying property taxes to the district.

“I pay almost $300 in property taxes for the park district, $25 for your pensions,” he said. “And you can thank me later.”

Per rules for public comment, the board cannot respond to the comments, rather they can take them under advisement and then comment at the following board meeting.

In the beginning, KCC paid $112,500 spread out over three years in the initial agreement finalized in 2006. Since 2010, KCC has paid $1 annually for the lease, and the agreement let it extend the deal for three additional five-year terms.

The third five-year term is from Sept. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2025.

Also part of the original deal in 2003, KCC agreed to an exchange of land of 11.53 acres to KVPD to build the Ice Valley Centre at 1601 River Road in Kankakee, and it agreed to grant all needed utility easements to KVPD. KCC compensated KVPD in the amount of $696,000.

There were also cost overruns related to the construction of Ice Valley, and KCC agreed on an addendum to pay two additional sums of $225,000, paid in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Combined with $112,500 lease payments, KCC’s total payment for the facility was just more than $1.3 million.

In addition, KCC offers complimentary fitness center membership to all KVPD employees and commissioners.

However, the commissioners now have decided to charge rent.

The latest proposal is KCC pays $1,000 monthly rent and for utilities for the fitness center.

Boyd said the college has not yet received the proposal.

By a 4-0 vote, the board approved offering a one-year agreement, which will run from Sept. 1, 2025, to Aug. 31, 2026.

The two sides will discuss future agreements, KVPD officials said.

Officials from Kankakee School District 111 toured the fitness center earlier this month to see if it could possibly be home to the district’s transition program for adult students with disabilities out of the Meadowview Center due to facility issues with the former Embrace Consignment Store location.

Kankakee Valley Park District Executive Director Ross Bruni said the school district informed him that they were going to stay in house with the move.

Chris Breach also contributed to this story.