New Lenox to take over children’s museum

The village of New Lenox plans to open a children’s museum by spring 2024.

The KidsWork Children’s Museum now in Frankfort will be relocated to a new and larger building located on the New Lenox Village Commons.

The Village Board on Monday approved a resolution for the plan, which will put the museum under the ownership of the village.

The board also approved the $8.2 million purchase of 103 acres near Silver Cross Hospital where the village will build a multi-sports complex that is expected to be available by 2025.

Mayor Tim Baldermann described both plans as “legacy projects” when announcing them on Friday.

The museum is a $4 million project.

Construction is expected to start in June on a 12,000-square-foot building, which will be nearly twice the size of the existing museum that was started in 2007.

Plans for the new location include a 4,200-square-foot outdoor area for children’s play and family picnics.

Baldermann said the nonprofit that now operates the museum was “looking for an entity to take them over so they could expand and grow.”

The museum attracts nearly 40,000 visitors a year and operates at a profit, Baldermann said.

“We looked at their financials,” he said. “They’re turning a very healthy net profit every year.”

The museum, however, did struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic when it had to close and cut expenses.

Baldermann said he expects museum attendance to grow at the New Lenox location with increased exposure and accessibility because of the proximity to U.S. 30.

The New Lenox location will put the museum near the New Lenox Public Library, also located in the Village Commons. The area is used for community events, including Christmas in the Commons and a Triple Play Concert Series.

The museum and sports complex are seen as attractions that will be used by New Lenox residents and people from a wide area.

“These projects obviously will serve many people not only in our community and in our area,” Baldermann said when announcing them. “They are multi-state, multi-county projects that we’re expecting to bring people to town.”

The sports complex will be used by youth travel teams in a variety of sports that, Baldermann said, need locations for both tournaments and practice.

The plan is for eight baseball fields, five soccer fields, two multi-sport fields, a 50,000-square-foot field house for indoor sports, a pool for both competitive swimming and family outings, and a 10,000-square-foot clubhouse.

The sports complex will be located near the crossing of Interstates 80 and 355. The cost of development is expected to be between $45 million and $50 million.