Randall Oaks Rec Center, branch library grand opening Saturday

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WEST DUNDEE — Grand opening celebrations will be held Saturday for the $12.4 million Dundee Township Park District Randall Oaks Recreation Center and the Fox River Valley Public Library District’s branch Library inside the center.

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the facilities will take place at 10 a.m. at the center, 500 N. Randall Road. Visitors can tour the new facility and participate in free health and wellness screenings, group exercise class demonstrations and children’s activities. Library staff will be on hand to give tours, issue library cards, and answer questions at the branch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The 53,000-square-foot recreation center was funded by existing park district tax resources and Build America Bonds, which will provide a 35 percent interest rebate to the district. The center includes a 5,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art fitness center; double gymnasium with two full-size basketball courts; elevated three-lane track; group exercise studio; KidZone (child watch room); preschool; and multipurpose room. Center hours will be 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.

More information is available by calling the center at 847-836-4260.

The 5,000-square-foot branch library, located on the lower level of the center, will feature a variety of materials with the latest titles, older popular books and select audiovisuals. Patrons will find satellite-sized areas including adult fiction and non-fiction, teens, children, audiovisual, adult and game computers, and study tables. Check-out stations, automated return equipment and an outdoor drive-up book return have been installed to make visits efficient and allow more time to browse around and make selections.

Hours for the new branch location will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It will be closed on Fridays and Sundays. “As the branch hours were mapped out, all of our different patrons and their library needs were considered,” said library Director Roxane Bennett.

“We hope we’ve provided a time when everyone will be able to take advantage of our new location, like moms and kids in the mornings, students in the afternoons, adults stopping by after work, and families coming together on Saturdays. We based our hours on what we see at our main location in East Dundee as well as responses received during the community outreach that was conducted during the branch planning. We will watch the traffic and usage closely, and are open to making adjustments in the future if needed.”

Patrons who already have an item on hold and would like to pick it up at the Randall Oaks Branch instead of the Dundee Library can call the Dundee Library at 847-428-3661, ext. 5876; or email dundeeref@dundeelibrary.info (include library card number or have it handy) beginning Monday.

More information is available by calling the library or visiting the website at www.frvpld.info.

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Randall Oaks Rec Center in West Dundee- The Northwest Herald

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Written by Joseph Bustos, The Northwest Herald. August 15, 2012

http://www.nwherald.com/2012/08/15/randall-oaks-in-west-dundee-the-new-center-of-recreation/aqbu4gt/

Randall Oaks in West Dundee, the new center of recreation

WEST DUNDEE – Workers touched up paint, employees unpacked boxes, and a handful of people tried out the new exercise equipment at Randall Oaks Recreation Center.

The center opened this week – a so-called soft opening before a grand opening celebration Aug. 25.

“To train the staff, it made sense to actually have it open so we could do some live training,” said Jim Miller, deputy director of the Dundee Township Park District.

Inside the center is a preschool room, a baby-sitting room, a fitness center, basketball courts and a library.

Construction on the 53,000-square-foot facility started in April 2011. The construction industry wasn’t particularly strong at the time, Miller said, “so we had a lot of good bids.”

The project was budgeted at $12.4 million. It is expected to come in about $250,000 under budget, Miller said.

Money for the center came from Build America Bonds, money made available through the federal economic stimulus act.

Property taxes will not increase because of the new facility, Miller said.

The facility also includes a west side branch of the Fox River Valley Public Library District.

“The library is like us; they have their building on the east side of the community,” Miller said. “We knew they would be interested in trying to expand to the west side of the community.”

The library is leasing recreation center space for at least five years and could be there for as long as 10 years, Miller said.

The recreation center library branch is 5,000 square feet. Users will be able to sign up for a library card at the branch and check out or renew materials, Branch Manager Nancy Kendzior said.

Besides new and popular materials, the branch will focus on health and fitness materials, she said.

Elsewhere in the center, The Kidzone is play area with computers, toys and a Ninetendo Wii gaming system. Parents will be able to drop off children ages 6 weeks to 11 years while they go workout.

There is a preschool room for 3- to 5-year-olds, with toys and small chairs and tables, among other things.

The group exercise studio has a maple floor designed to absorb the impact of moving up and down. Spin, Pilates classes and other classes will be there.

The fitness center has about 80 machines, Miller said. There is an elevated track where 12 laps equal one mile

The basketball courts have six baskets. The floor is rubber to take the wear and tear from competitions and different programs.

“It’s got to be durable.” Miller said

In the park district, the Fox River sometimes serves as a barrier because only two bridges cross it.

“A lot of the growth has been on the west side,” said Helen Shumate, director of marketing and communications for the district.

Miller said a facility on the west side was something residents wanted.

“We haven’t done as good a job serving the community on this side of the river,” he said. “As we’ve done surveys over the years, it’s been on the top of the list of what people want.”

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Debut of Randall Oaks Rec Center- The Daily Herald

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Written by Staff, The Daily Herald. August 10, 2012

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120810/news/708109933/

Randall Oaks Rec Center readying for debut

Twenty years ago, officials within the Dundee Township Park District started talking about building a new recreation center. And evidence of those talks has finally come to fruition.

The 53,000-square-foot Randall Oaks Recreation Center will open its doors to the public on Monday, a full month ahead of schedule, said Jim Miller, deputy director of the Dundee Township Park District.

The building, at 500 N. Randall Road in West Dundee, was expected to cost $12.43 million, but came in $250,000 under budget, which means extra money for the district’s capital projects budget.

The new rec center offers a double gymnasium, a fitness center with 80 machines, an elevated track, a tuition-based preschool, a group exercise studio, a multipurpose room and a baby-sitting room.

Other perks include locker rooms, a machine that refills water bottles and comfortable bleachers.

Moreover, the Fox River Valley Public Library is leasing space within the building for its new west side branch. You can start checking out books during the branch’s grand opening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 25, library director Roxane Bennett said.

Besides books of all types, there will be public computers, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

“(We’re) very excited,” Bennett said. “We’re as excited as the community. We know this has been highly anticipated.”

Miller bills the new recreation center as a complement to its Rakow Center in Carpentersville.

The fitness center at Randall Oaks is 5,500 square feet, three times larger than the one at the Rakow Center. But unlike the Rakow Center, Randall Oaks does not offer a swimming pool, racquetball courts or a day care center.

“We’re trying not to compete against ourselves,” Miller said.

Staff members — including 50 new employees hired to work at the center — and construction workers were putting the finishing touches on the building and unpacking boxes of various equipment.

The district paid for the building with its reserves and Build America Bonds. There were no tax rate increases or referendums involved in the construction of the building, Miller said.

A special grand opening is scheduled 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 25 and will include free health and wellness screenings.

Annual fitness memberships cost $396 for township residents and $480 for others. The township includes the Dundees, Sleepy Hollow, Carpentersville and parts of Elgin, Gilberts and Barrington Hills.

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Resthave Moves into the Future

Celebrating the beginning of a new construction or remodeling project is always exciting. There is the thrill of taking a long-planned step forward. The effort to complete the task is gratifying. A sense of empowerment accompanies the creation of a new space.

Such was the case at Resthave Nursing & Retirement Home, 408 Maple Avenue, Morrison, IL, on Tuesday, August 7, 2012. The Resident Council officers, seated above, wore appropriate safety headgear for the event.

Shown left-to-right are Hubert Londo, Wayne Farrell, Irene Dyke, Marvin Dykema, Ida Balk, and Millie VanOosten. All residents comprise the Resident Council. They offer input, suggestions, or compliments and are informed about events at the care facility.

Next, residents and staff posed for a photograph with shovels.

Below left, The Honorable John Hauptman, who is Resthave Board President, offered a few words to mark the occasion as a “new era” which is “important to Resthave.” He praised the “volunteer Board” who “put in a lot of time, reflection, thought, and homework. They really have the interest of this home.” Medical Director is Dr. Mark Woods. Board members include Carolyn Aiken, Rollie Ebbers, Darlene Eckland, Phil Eckland, Anne Frame, Judge Hauptman, Doug Leech, Jerry Lindsey, and Jane Pessman. Not present were Sug Austin, Mary Lou Renwick, and Marge Schleuning.

Next, he acknowledged the consulting help from Revere Health Care Corporation and Thad Gleason for his architectural plans.

At right is Ian Lamp, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Lamp Incorporated. This construction firm will manage the new addition. He presented Judge Hauptman with the “official ceremonial shovel.” It was not used for the “official ceremonial digging.”

Shortly after noon, 11 Board members and Resthave staff broke ground for the construction of an extensive Assisted Living and Sheltered Care addition. They were guided along the three-step procedure by Lamp. Shown left-to-right, they were Phil Eckland, Darlene Eckland, Rollie Ebbers, Tami Tegeler, Jane Pessman, Carolyn Aiken, Doug Leech, Dr. Woods, Jerry Lindsey, Judge Hauptman, and Anne Frame.

New licensing allowed for reorganization and the provision of additional services. Plus, as Board member Frame stated, “We’ll hire 20 to 25 people. That is good for Morrison.”

The expected opening is Summer 2014, bringing the accommodations to 107 beds. The Retirement section is currently at 21 units, but will nearly double to 37 as the new “Assisted Living” section. Director of Nursing Eva Dykstra explained there are now 49 Nursing beds; this will grow to 70. The new “Nursing” section will offer Medicare-certified Skilled beds. Four double rooms will be available.

Current residents may request a move to the new units, but the decision depends upon their care needs. They “will receive a few more services for the daily living in the Assisted Living unit, versus Sheltered Care,” stated Dykstra.

There are waiting lists for both options, and there have been increased calls since publicity began. The average stay at Resthave Retirement & Nursing Home is eight years.

After the dirt digging and tossing, golden shovels were gathered by Project Superintendent Steve Werling, who works for Lamp Incorporated. This management, construction, and design and build firm has been “building a tradition of quality construction since 1932.”

lamp incorporated current projects
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