Sycamore’s Recreation Campus Enters Design and Development Phase

At its meeting on July 26, 2016, the Sycamore Park District Board of Commissioners signed a contract with Ringland-Johnson Construction of Cherry Valley, IL to serve as the construction manager of the District’s new recreation campus. This is the biggest milestone in the ACTION 2020 projects, to date, and with that step planning moves into the design and development phase. Over the next several months, Ringland-Johnson will work closely with staff and the park district’s architecture and engineering firm– Farnsworth Group–to put together bid specs, cost estimates and initiate the bid process by early next year. Executive Director Daniel Gibble says, “This is a big and diverse project. Our goal now is to find the best fit between contractors and the unique elements of the recreation campus’ facilities.” These new facilities include a community center, splashpad, dog park and sled hill.

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After receiving eight submittals in response to their request for qualifications, the District’s Professional Services Committee (with input from the project’s architectural firm) chose three to be interviewed. Commissioner Bill Koeger says, “While all firms were amply qualified to complete the work, Ringland-Johnson’s contemporary management approach means that taxpayer dollars will be spent efficiently and responsibly. Virtual models of the construction details allow for all planning and problem solving to be done before the shovels are even in the ground. This reduces the likelihood of major change orders and costly construction errors.”

Ringland-Johnson Construction is a local firm that has done several projects that Sycamore residents are familiar with. Amongst those projects, they have done work for the City of Sycamore at their Public Safety Building, CUSD#427 constructing the Field House, many projects for Northern Illinois University, and housing work for DeKalb County. In the private sector they have completed projects in DeKalb County for Nestle, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Oak Crest Retirement Center.

The recreation campus will be located on the 25-acre site across Airport Road from the current Sports Complex and will include a community center, dog park, sled hill and splashpad as well as a playground, parking lot and outdoor patio/classroom spaces. The large amenities on this site are only four of the seven projects that make up ACTION 2020, the Sycamore Park District’s long-range plan to provide residents with the recreational opportunities they seek, need and deserve. In addition to a community center, splashpad, dog park and sled hill, other ACTION 2020 projects will bring two new biking trail connections, a soccer complex followed by six new baseball fields and a new irrigation system at the Sycamore Park District Golf Club.