Lisle Park District officials say they probably won’t have to expand existing parking lots near the Fitness Center and Sea Lion Aquatic Park on Short Street, even if the district moves forward with plans to build an 86,000-square-foot community center at the site.

Even with a projected increase in facility users as a result of more programs in the future, the current parking capacity is not being maximized, park officials say.

“We feel there will be more than enough parking there with what we have now,” said Dan Garvy, director of the park district.

The district is internally auditing parking at the site, which could serve as the footprint for a new community center.

The project — estimated to cost between $19.5 million and $23 million — requires passage of a bond issue as early as the Nov. 4 election, and trustees could vote on whether to put the issue on the ballot in August.

The parking audit likely will be complete in late August or early September after trustees decide on the bond issue, but the board should have enough data by mid-August to make an informed decision, Garvy said.

The board will receive parking audit updates before the Thursday, Aug. 21, board meeting, Garvy said.

“Usually parking is at its peak during June and most of July, then it falls off because attendance at Sea Lion Aquatic Park drops off by late July and early August,” Garvy said.

The capacity of the parking lots near the proposed site is about 335 spaces, he added. Initial plans for building a new  Community Center allow for roughly the same number.

“Our feeling is that is enough parking if we build a new Community Center because during one of the busiest days we monitored a few weeks ago, there still were about 65 empty parking spaces,” Garvy said. “So far, we have not seen the parking completely full, and our theory is similar to the old saying that you don’t build a church just for Easter (crowds).”

Park officials have been discussing building a new community center for multi-purpose programming use for several months.

Don Cook, president of the park board, has said he and other board members “seem to favor” the project, but will wait until August to make a final decision.

“We have time to react, so we’ll wait until we get all the information before us,” Cook said.

The district currently uses the 24,000-square-foot Meadows Center for the bulk of its programs, but that site may not be available after 2009.
The Park District leases The Meadows Center from Lisle Community School District 202.

Even with a projected increase in facility users, Garvy said a recent study conducted by Wheaton-based Williams Architects indicates the district would save money by operating a new facility compared to the Meadows Center.

“What we spend now on the cost of operating The Meadows — including rent to School District 202 — is significantly more than what our own operating costs would be with the new facility,” Garvy said.

The Park District has budgeted $100,000 to operate the Meadows Center during Fiscal Year 2008/09 and estimates it will budget $170,000 next year when the lease price increases, he added.

“We are estimating the proposed facility would operate on a budget of between $100,000 and $120,000,” Garvy said. “That is a pretty significant savings.”

A new facility also would generate an additional $120,000 annually in program fees, he added.