PLANS FOR CENTER

The Franklin Park Park District announced this week the preliminary drawings for the Community Center building, to be located at 9560 Franklin Avenue, where their hockey rink is located at present.

The building, designed by the Architectural firm of Wendt, Cedarholm & Tippens of Northfield, was expected to go out for bids in February (expected cost $520,000) with construction scheduled to begin in April. The construction period should be approximately one year with the building to be open for public use in April of 1971.

The Center, which will be Franklin Park's main community center, will have a regulation size gymnasium, Arts and Crafts room, club rooms, conference room, drop-in center, and meeting rooms, as well as housing the Park District offices. In the basement area there will be large locker room facilities, a weight room, and other rooms for expansion and the development of programs such as dog obedience, carpentry, furniture reupholstering and ballet to mention a few.

The gymnasium was depressed to get away from the conventional square box look. Therefore, contemporary architecture was used to blend in with many other main street buildings without the "factory" or "box" look so prevalent in recreational and school architecture.

The funds to erect the structure are coming from a $1,800,000 referendum passed in May of 1968. The building represents one of the last major facilities to be constructed under the current expansion program. Other facilities have been a 50 meter pool and bathhouse, a Neighborhood Community Center and the acquisition and development of the following parks: (1) Ruby and Addison Playlot, (2) Chestnut & Willow Playlot, (3) Robinson Caruso Park (one acre), and (4) North Park (7 acres).

The remaining projects will include: development of Hawthorne Park (1 acre), purchase and development of Grand Park (1.5 acres) and construction of a maintenance garage.

The Park District, formed in 1964, is located by O'Hare airport in a community that is 95% developed. The District has a population of 18,000 and an assessed evaluation of $130,000,000 with five of every seven tax dollars coming from industry. The Board of professional staff welcome questions and will gladly supply any information possible to help other districts considering a referendum or developing playlots or other recreational facilities.

Illinois Parks 54 March/ April 1970