RANTOUL — Fresh off its $1.5 million upgrade, Rantoul’s youth center will be the center of attention at a ribbon cutting/open house Saturday, March 16.
Recreation Director Luke Humphrey said the building interior “looks like a brand-new building.”
Added Andy Graham, assistant director of recreation: ‘It looks beautiful. It couldn’t have come out any better.”
Dodds Construction Co., Champaign, was awarded the renovation contract, and Humphrey said the work went according to plan.
“It’s been a perfect project,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be a more useful facility moving forward. It will provide a lot more quality-of-life opportunities for the citizens of Rantoul.”
The 40-year-old building, used its first 10 years by the Air Force before it became the property of the village of Rantoul, has always been known as a youth center, but has actually been an event center for all ages, holding activities including senior lunches, community dinners and breakfast with Santa.
Graham said earlier that during some weeks the center is open seven days a week.
It also hosts travel baseball teams, camps, after-school activities, baton and dance programs and practices.
The rec department serves 4,000 to 5,000 meals to youth during the summer when students are out of school.
While the center is already open for use, primarily for youth activities, Humphrey said the rec department is “slowly transitioning to an open-to-the public building for back to school.”
“We have started some programming in the mornings,” he said.
Humphrey said the entire interior was refurbished with new rubber or tile flooring, an HVAC system update, new electrical system, new gymnasium hardware, including hoops, dual batting cages for baseball and softball and new LED scoreboards; and new data access points for computers in a classroom setting.
The lobby area was updated for a more secure setting.
Humphrey said much of the plumbing was redone, and the restrooms were torn out and new ones installed.
Humphrey said he’s received quite a few positive comments.
“Aesthetically it looks great,” he said. “It’s going to serve Rantoul for 30-40 years.”
Funding for the renovation comes from $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The village borrowed the remaining $500,000.
