The first of five Naperville Park District open houses for a proposed $135 million bond sale referendum to fund a new Frontier Sports Complex activity center and other projects will be held Thursday.
District officials are seeking residents’ feedback on placing a referendum on the March 2026 election ballot to generate the money needed for more facilities and other amenities, including indoor aquatic spaces, refrigerated outdoor ice rinks, and more hiking and jogging trails.
“This potential referendum is really community driven,” Executive Director Brad Wilson said. “It’s what we’ve heard from the community over the past few years as we’ve conducted various surveys (and) met with residents, whether it be through open houses, focus groups.”
There are six capital improvement projects being proposed:
- A new community activity center at the Frontier Sports Complex;
- Refrigerated outdoor seasonal ice rinks at the Community Garden Plots parking lot;
- Site improvements at the Nike Sports Complex;
- Site improvements at County Lakes Park;
- Site improvements at Wolf’s Crossing Community Park;
- Acquisition of open space, including an estimated 5.7 acres of land adjacent to Walnut Ridge Park.
Prior surveys found that residents want more indoor recreation space in south Naperville, which is why a Frontier activity center has been proposed. If built, it would cost an estimated $119 million and could include gyms, group exercise rooms and three types of swimming pools, among other features.
As of right now, district officials believe the total price tag for all of the work proposed is about $139 million. If $135 million is funded with bond sale money, the rest would come from budget reserves, officials said.
Should the referendum be approved, 0.0876 cents per $100 of Equalized Assessed Value would be added to the tax rate, Wilson said. The owner of a home with a fair market value of $500,000 would pay about $139 more a year in taxes, or about $12 a month, for the next 20 years, according to district estimates.
In an effort to educate residents on what’s being considered, five public forums have been scheduled:
- 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Fort Hill Activity Center, 20 Fort Hill Drive;
- 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11 at South Maintenance Facility, 3415 Book Road;
- 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Fort Hill Activity Center;
- 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Fort Hill Activity Center;
- 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the South Maintenance Facility.
A Sept. 24 letter mailed to residents is the district’s first step in sharing details about the potential referendum and proposed projects. The district has also created a napervilleparks.org/referendumproposal website.
A survey will be sent to Naperville households later this fall as another way to obtain feedback before a referendum decision is made in December.
How the district decides to proceed with all or any of the proposals will depend on the resident feedback they receive, Wilson said.
Park district facilities and programs are mostly funded with money obtained through property taxes and fees charged for classes, events and facility usage. While the district has enough revenue to maintain and operate existing parks and facilities, increased costs have prevented the planning of new capital improvement projects.
In May, the district entered into contracts with two consulting firms to help navigate future indoor recreation needs. Williams Architects and Beyond Your Base were hired to help with public engagement and site and facility conceptual design, and will assist in determining if the district should move foward with a referendum.
cstein@chicagotribune.com
