Glen Ellyn Park District to Host a Referendum Open House on Wednesday, Oct. 15

The Glen Ellyn Park District will host a referendum open house on Wednesday, October 15, to educate residents regarding its referendum to construct an indoor aquatic center.

The session will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Spring Avenue Recreation Center, 185 Spring Avenue. An additional open house will be held on Thursday, October 30 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Main Street Recreation Center, 501 Hill Avenue.

The Board of Commissioners voted to put a referendum on the November 4th ballot to raise the $13.5 million for a new indoor aquatic center. If granted the referendum, the Park District would build a new indoor aquatic center complete with a 25 yard stretch pool, diving boards, spectator seating, a warm water therapy pool, and a multi-purpose room. The pool would function as a multi-generational facility for both recreational and competitive swimming, serving everyone from infants to seniors and special needs users.

The proposed aquatic center would be integrated into the existing structure of the Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center located at 800 St. Charles Road, Glen Ellyn. The project would be financed by taking over an existing tax levy that is set to expire. If the referendum is approved, park district taxes will remain the same. If the referendum does not pass and no other referendums were passed, the amount levied for Park District taxes could decrease beginning with your 2017 taxes, payable in 2018. Prior to that, the levy would remain the same.

For example, a Glen Ellyn home valued at $400,000 currently pays about $583 to the Park District in property taxes. If the referendum passes, then that tax rate would stay the same. If not, it would decrease by about $146, or approximately $12 per month.

For more information on the referendum and the indoor aquatic center, residents are encouraged to visit http://gepark.org/Vote2014.html