Park board: Community center too small?

A move to scale back plans for the new Lisle Community Center is on target, but officials now fear the facility could be too small.

That was the impression of board members at the Lisle Park District's monthly meeting held last week. At the meeting, representatives from Carol Stream-based Williams Architects presented revised plans for the proposed building, which now is estimated to cost about $17.5 million. Previously, cost estimates reached $22 million for the proposed 85,000-square-foot facility, which has now been trimmed down to 77,000 square feet.

However, Park Director Dan Garvy warned that there are concerns the new building might be too little.

"The board now feels as though the building might be too small, and that too much has been removed and it lacks the flexibility we need for programs," Garvy said. "We'd prefer being able to 'grow' into it. My recommendation is that we try to meet more of a middle ground. We can't spend $22 million, but we need to be at something more than we have now."

The board offered no direction to the architectural firm at this point and is planning instead to "re-engage the public," Garvy said, regarding a proposed referendum for November 2010.

"This latest work was done largely behind the scenes just to see if it was worth pursuing," Garvy said. "We see now that in some respects it is, and in others it may not be. We need to reconnect with our public and get feedback that will ultimately give direction to the park board as to whether or not to pursue a referendum next November."

In other developments, the board was presented with a proposed 2010 budget which stands at $9.2 million. Garvy said he was proud of the work he and staff have done throughout the year to make cutbacks as early as last spring, which has produced an operating surplus of $346,000 in the budget for next year.

"These days, having an operating surplus is a rarity when you look at all the deficits there are in governmental bodies," Garvy said.

The budget will be on public display after the next meeting scheduled Nov. 12. The budget will be voted on by the board at a meeting in December.