Shuffle Planned For Elmhurst Park Activities

ELMHURST, IL – The Elmhurst Park District plans to stop using the Wagner Community Center this fall, so it must hold programs elsewhere.

Because of a voter-approved measure, the district is set to spend more than $80 million to build an expanded center. The work is expected to be done by fall 2027.

After a closed session Tuesday, the park board approved the lease terms to rent the building at 185 Industrial Drive starting this fall.

Some Wagner programs will be moved to existing district buildings, but gymnastics and dance will shift to the Industrial Drive building, according to a board resolution.

Under the lease, rent is set at $40,048 a month through May 2026. Then it would rise to $41,249.

The owner agreed to several improvements before the district occupies the building.

In November, 57 percent of the district's voters approved a property tax hike to pay back $90 million in debt. All but $6 million of that money is set to be spent on the community center.

The other projects are a band shell, year-round heated restrooms and upgrading a grass field to artificial turf – work that is set for 2026 to 2028.

With the passage of the referendum, the property tax hike is projected to cost $317 a year for the owner of a house valued at $500,000, which is close to Elmhurst's median.