ROCHELLE — A large crowd filled up Rochelle City Hall on Monday night to hear a presentation put on by the Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District about a proposed $11 million, community recreation center at the Helms South property just west of Walgreens.

Park director Jackee Ohlinger and park board president Tim Hayden spoke about the community benefits of such a facility in town, as well as the construction financing, costs to tax payers, revenue opportunities and costs related to the facility.

“A community recreation center will help improve health and wellness in the community and provide a quality of life benefit that Rochelle has needed for many years,” Ohlinger said. “Our construction design calls for a steel pole barn base with precast walls. We would use the current parking lot space at Helms South and our main entrance would face north.”

Ohlinger added that the preliminary design includes plans for a large, roomy front entrance gathering place, a large multi-use room, a fitness/weight room, gymnasium space and a large field house with indoor turf for various activities. Plus, a walking track is planned around the entire perimeter of the fieldhouse and gym areas.

A possible second phase includes space for a six-lane indoor pool facility that could be added in the future, but is not part of the initial $11 million project.

“We have talked to several local groups to give us some ideas about design and what they would like to see so they support us,” Ohlinger said, adding that the fitness center would be open 24 hours a day/seven days per week and gym memberships are expected to account for 75 percent of the revenue.”

The remaining 25 percent of revenue is expected to come from sports league and tournament fees and rentals for court time.

“Around the region gym memberships range from $24 to $60 per month per person, so we expect our rates would be somewhere in that range,” Ohlinger said. “When the Sycamore Park District opened their new facility, they hit their initial membership goals in just a few days, so we are confident we will see similar support here.”

Financing

Hayden explained to the crowd that the district currently bonds approximately $860,000 per year and would raise its annual bond to $1.4 million for 20 years until the facility is paid off. He said the average homeowner in the Flagg Township district would pay approximately $80 per year more based on a home valued at $147,000.

“We often hear that Rochelle has high real estate taxes, but when we looked at other towns and districts in this region, Rochelle’s overall tax rate is 9.49, which is less than many others,” Hayden shared. “And, the park district tax rate is just .59 and represents a pretty low percentage of the overall tax rate.”

After Hayden discussed the financing details, several members of design and construction company Ringland Johnson spoke about their experience and assured residents in attendance of their diligence with meeting budget expectations and providing all the amenities desired by the district.

In what was mostly a receptive and enthusiastic crowd, several people spoke in favor of the district moving forward with the project, including several past park board members and community leaders. Several residents also were behind the project.

“I am new to town and came here recently to work in my family business,” said Jessica Morris. “Our 6-year-old daughter is active in gymnastics and was doing well where we lived in Indiana, but when we came here and had to drive 45 minutes to get into the same programs, she got tired of the drive and wanted to quit.  I have seen these types of facilities in other small towns and what I’m hearing tonight is amazing. We are going to be here the rest of our lives and want to make the best of it.”

Another young adult echoed Morris.

“My name is Sebastian Gomez and this has been a long time coming,” he said. “As a resident growing up here it was hard not having things to do in the winter. As a teen, we drove to Oregon just to play ball in the winter and many times we shouldn’t have been out driving on the roads. Today, now as a dad, I am looking forward to seeing this happen for my family.”

One resident, Jeff White, questioned the commissioners on the validity of the revenue estimates and suggested the tax payers not be tied to financing the facility.

“This sounds like a hell of a deal to me, so why don’t you guys build it yourself and make money on it,” White stated. “Or why don’t the board members co-sign a note on it?”

Local businessman Dan Lundquist told the board that as a manager of a large employer in town, he is often told by co-workers who commute that Rochelle lacks quality of life amenities.

“I chose to live here with my family, but when I ask my peers why they don’t live here, they always say because we don’t have a rec center,” he shared. “So, I appreciate you doing your due diligence on this and I think it fits into your mission plan as a park district.”

Following public comment, the board voted unanimously (7-0) to a $110,000 contract with Ringland Johnson to provide schematic drawings and preliminary plans for the facility.

“This is just the first step and this phase will take a few months,” said Ohlinger, after the meeting. “We still want to hear from various groups and organizations in the community about what they might want to see included in the community center, because we want to add everything we can to meet the most needs.”