The Romeoville Village Board on Wednesday signed off on the Athletic and Event Center in the downtown redevelopment project, which officials say will help bring new businesses to the area.
The 10-acre downtown redevelopment project calls for the Athletic and Event Center, which is expected to be completed in December, along with several retail outlots, with an emphasis on a grocery store, facing Route 53.
The project is being funded through the creation of a tax increment financing or TIF district in which the money generated through the improved property values from the development are used to fund improvements to that district.
Three combined TIF districts are generating revenue to pay for the construction of the Athletic and Event Center, which is expected to cost between $8.6 million and $10.5 million depending on whether the basketball courts are built as part of the original project, officials said.
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Mayor John Noak said the money to pay for the venue comes from existing TIF funds — not future revenue — and that the money can only be used to spend for economic improvements to the area. No residential property taxes are in the TIF district.
The Athletic and Event Center, which will house indoor soccer, community meeting space and multipurpose space for events such as home and boat shows, is expected to be a regional draw, Noak said. With that, people will also spend money at nearby gas stations, restaurants and shopping, bringing long-term stability to the area, he said.
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“The retail component is actively being discussed,” Noak said. “This is just one aspect of the bigger puzzle.”
Trustee Sue Micklevitz said she has contacted other municipalities with similar athletic venues and officials there have been pleased with their facilities. She added that most residents seem enthused with the plan, which has been in the works for about ten years, though she knows not everyone is convinced.
Resident Tomasz Suliga said while he is excited that something is happening with the downtown redevelopment project, he is not convinced that the athletic center is the right fit for the area. A grocery store is much needed, he said, and would attract people using Route 53. The downtown area is also a good location for a farmer’s market, he said.
Earlier this year, the former Jewel-Osco and Ace Hardware store was torn down, and the rest of the Spartans' Square shopping center will be torn down in June.
The Athletic and Event Center will be nearly 76,800 square feet when complete. The base bid, which would cost about $8.6 million, would include about 59,700 square feet of space and include an indoor soccer field, multipurpose rooms, storage space and movable spectator seating.
The alternative plan, which would total about $10.5 million, would add two IHSA-regulation basketball courts or four IHSA regulation volleyball courts.
The village also has an incentive agreement with the construction manager to help save money and keep construction costs as low as possible.
In other news, Romeoville was named “the best tasting water in the south suburbs” by the South Suburban Water Works Association.
The village’s drinking water was tested for its clarity, odor and taste.
In the past seven years, the village has completed five ion exchange plants to help improve the water quality by reducing existing levels of radium below Illinois Environmental Protection Agency requirements, village officials said.
According to the village, Romeoville draws its water from a ground water supply consisting of five deep wells with pump settings about 1,500 feet below the surface and seven shallow wells pumping 150 to 300 feet below the surface. The village pumps over 3.8 million gallons a day to over 50,000 residents and nearby service areas, which totals over 1.4 billion gallons per year.