Bicentennial Park Will Be Closed If 2021 City Budget Passes

JOLIET, IL — With Joliet's gambling revenues down by 50 percent this year because of all the business shutdowns created by the global pandemic, the city of Joliet plans to cut expenses by closing the Bicentennial Park in 2021.

City finance director Jim Ghedotte told Joliet City Council members at Monday night's special budget meeting that closing the Bicentennial Park next year would save the city about $430,000.

The employees at Bicentennial Park will be reassigned to other jobs across the city, he said.

"There will be no layoffs," interim city manager Jim Hock informed the Council.

Ghedotte said that the idea of reopening the Bicentennial Park, theoretically, could be revisited by the City Council at a later point in time.

However, Ghedotte's proposed city budget for 2021 calls for closing the Bicentennial buildings and absorbing the employees into other areas.

"And we're only budgeting to maintain that building, to keep the utilities on," Ghedotte said.

Hock said that city staff "will look at alternative uses with other jurisdictions that are interested, but if our gaming revenues increase over time, as the year goes on, you can reopen and discuss adding programing."

The Council plans to hold its public hearing on the proposed 2021 budget at next week's meeting. The budget calls for not filling about 10 job openings on the Joliet police force, another six openings for police dispatchers and not filling at least seven openings on the Joliet Fire Department.

Mayor Bob O'Dekirk said that if the coronavirus vaccine becomes a reality next spring, he wondered if the staff at Bicentennial Park could scramble and still book any outdoor entertainers to perform at Joliet's longstanding summer series, "Concerts on the Hill."

"We probably will still have some outdoor programming," Hock responded.