Oswegoland Park District shows off new administration and operations facility

The Oswegoland Park District’s decades-old administration and operations facility has been replaced with a modern facility designed for the growing needs of the district.

“The completion of this facility is part of a larger, multiyear improvement plan that includes renovations at both Boulder Point and South Point, which are set to wrap up later this year,” Oswegoland Park Board President Dave Behrens said to those attending a July 28 ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Grove Administration & Operations Center at 3220 Grove Road in Oswego.

“As we continue to grow, we remain committed to our purpose – creating opportunities for a healthy community," Behren said.

The ceremony was hosted by the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce.

This year marks the park district’s 75th anniversary. The Park District was established by referendum in April 1950.

The new facility replaced a building that was built in 1974 as a John Deere dealership and acquired by the district in 1986.

Kendall County Board member Dan Koukol, who grew up in the area, remembers when it was a John Deer dealership. He is friends with Bob Twait, who had owned the dealership.

“I remember coming here as a kid many times and we bought John Deere equipment here,” Koukol said. “Mr. Twait remembers my dad and myself.”

He enjoyed touring the new facility.

“This is going to better serve the community,” Koukol said.

The facility had a myriad of problems, including accessibility issues for those with disabilities. The building also had temperature control issues and electrical updates were needed along with a new roof.

The park district proceeded with plans to build a smaller, more efficient 11,000-square-foot administration building and a new 15,000-square-foot park maintenance and operations building on the site.

The new building also provides the space needed to store the equipment for the park district’s 66 parks, 38 playgrounds and more than 1,000 acres of open space. There was much less storage space in the former facility.

The park district serves more than 66,000 people, including all of Oswego, parts of Montgomery, Aurora and Plainfield and all of Boulder Hill.

The project was paid for through reserve funds and a $5 million non-referendum bond.

Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman toured the new building for the first time following the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“I think the building is beautiful and I could not be happier or more excited for the park district,” he said. “I like the fact that it’s a lot bigger and it’s a lot more functional. It was an ancient building that very much needed to be updated.”