The foundation for the Crawford County Recreation Center is nearing completion.
Since work started in the late fall, contractors have been doing site work, including preparing the grade of the building, according to Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Director of Marketing Chris Forde.
They also have been working on the concrete footings and foundations and they are nearly complete.
Contractors are also beginning plumbing and electrical work that will be under the concrete floor slab.
All of the work is in anticipation of the structural steel for the CCRC, which is expected to be delivered at the end of December. Assembly will begin in early January.
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Construction Project Manager Nicholas Knapp, who is overseeing the construction of the project, said once the steel assembly begins people visiting campus and passing north of campus will start to see the building’s shape.
Knapp says the structural assembly will continue for a couple of months before interior construction begins. Construction on the facility is expected to be completed in July.
“This facility will be unlike anything else in Crawford County,” said CCRC Board President Bill Sandiford. “The Crawford County Recreation Center is so much more than just a gym. We’re building a recreational facility that will enhance the quality of life for people of all ages and backgrounds in our community.”
The 25,000-square-foot building that’s under construction on Lincoln Trail College’s campus will connect with the existing indoor swimming pool. The new building will include a fitness center with free weights and cardiovascular machines along with three rooms for fitness classes and a dedicated child watch room. An indoor walking track will provide people the opportunity to walk and jog year-round.
The facility also includes indoor multipurpose sport courts available for things like basketball, pickleball and volleyball along with after-school programming.
Once complete, the  rec center will take over operations of the pool, which will make the facility over 36,000 square feet. The pool recently underwent renovations, which included adding a climate-controlled party room. The pool will receive some additional recreational features, including waterslides. It will remain available for popular fitness activities like water aerobics and lap swimming.
“We want the Crawford County Recreation Center to be welcoming to people of all ages and fitness levels,” Sandiford said. “We’ll have a variety of fitness classes, including some, for example, geared specifically for seniors. We also want to use our multipurpose sport courts to offer league play for different sports.”
Meanwhile, Sandiford said the recreation center board is working on hiring an executive director to manage the new facility. He encouraged people to apply for the position.