Nowell Park Recreation Center

Описание: Executive Director Brad Staab and Recreation Superintendent Laura Brumfiel of the Nowell Park Recreation Center in Joliet, Illinois, describe the features and collaborative efforts that went into designing the facility.

www.dewberry.com

Brad Staab: So one of the most impressive parts of this facility is the design. Right when you walk in the door, all glass walls. You're able to see right into the basketball court and the walking track. If you go to the right, you're able to go to a community room with a screen. If you head to your left, there's a full fitness center. And then walk down the hallway a little bit further, we have community rooms that hold 50 people as well as an early childhood room.

Laura Brumfiel: We get comments every day. Actually, I think it surprised them at how beautiful it is. Everybody's first comment is, "It's open, it's beautiful. We love the gym."

Laura Brumfiel: And then they see the fitness center and see the windows and are just amazed. We also have some neighborhood people that are part of neighborhood councils that come in and use those tables and sit and meet. It's like a gathering space. It's nice. It makes it feel like a community. As well as parents can sit and watch their kids in classes. They can see everything that's going on. It's such a great space and it's utilized daily.

Laura Brumfiel: As a matter of fact, people love sitting in the open hallway, being able to hear, being able to see their kids playing and interacting. So in our gym we're able to offer a multitude of rentals for different sports teams. We do batting cage rentals as well as offer youth sports. So soccer, basketball, we have a football class, and then adult sports as well. We have four multipurpose rooms and we're able to offer some modified cooking classes, as well as birthday party rentals, and youth art classes. In the fitness center, we're working on some programming for that area as well, but we're able to hit all age groups with this facility being so multi-use.

Brad Staab: Came in on time. We came in under budget and the facility was even better than we had imagined when we started the project. I think everyone, when they walked in the door, we were expecting it to be great, but I don't think we were expecting it to be this great. And the initial response we got from everyone when they came through was amazed. And to have it come in under budget says a lot about Dewberry, as well as Henry Brothers, and the Joliet Park District.