Construction delayed on Dixon Park District community center

DIXON - Construction on the Dixon Park District community center will take a little longer following a delay, but plans are to open the facility in mid-August.

The goal was originally to have the facility completed at the end of this month and have a grand opening July 22.

The concrete base is too moist to install the wood flooring with the gymnasium, so they’ve decided to wait so the floor doesn’t buckle, district Executive Director Duane Long said Tuesday.

“We want to get it right the first time,” he said.

The building at 1312 Washington Ave. in Meadows Park will house two basketball courts with two automated volleyball nets and two batting cages, as well as a community room, an outdoor patio, and the district administrative offices.

Crews are working on drywall with the office, which should be completed by June 30 along with the community room, Long said.

“The construction process is going very well, and the community has been very patient,” he said. “It has been a hard, long process, but we can’t wait to open.”

The main goal is to provide a safe place for area youth to go, he added.

The costs for community members to use the facility will be released at a later date.

The Park Board approved constructing the $2.9 million building next to Water Wonderland in August.

The district issued $2 million in general obligation bonds to help fund a “Phase 1″ facility to meet basic community needs that can be expanded in future years. The district wanted to achieve the project without asking voters to approve a tax increase.

The Dixon City Council previously approved donating $700,000 for the project, and the district landed a low-interest loan from Sauk Valley Bank. Another partner is Trinity Financial, which purchased the naming rights to the Trinity Financial Community Room.

Different community organizations have tried to build a community center, sports complex or recreation center in Dixon for many years, but failed to lock-in tax increases to do so. The Park District had planned on pursuing a referendum to expand taxing boundaries to mirror School District boundaries and increase annual revenue by around $1 million but decided to hold off because of the COVID-19 pandemic and strains on community members.