Work Set to Begin on New Rec Center for Palos Heights

Palos Heights residents ready for a new rec center will have to keep waiting, but they’ll be happy to know crews are ready to dig in and get started.

Officials earlier this week held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the $6.3 million addition to the city’s recreation center. The revamped center is expected to open by the fall of 2016.

The 24,000-square-foot addition will be built on the south side of building, 6601 W. 127th St., and will include two gymnasiums, an elevated walking track, a fitness center, locker rooms and meeting rooms, a new parking lot and a new main entrance.

Residents last fall voted in favor of a referendum to fund the upgrades, which Mayor Robert Straz called, “a long time coming.

“We tried for another rec center, and we had to retrench,” Straz said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “This is another example of how we’ve been able to create a better quality of life for the residents while still living within our means.”