Crawford County Recreation Center Breaks Ground on LTC Campus

The new recreation center is coming to Crawford County. The Crawford County Recreation Center Board and Illinois Eastern Community Colleges celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony for the new 25,000-square-foot facility that will be located at Lincoln Trail College.
 
The project started five years ago as a community effort to enhance the quality of life in Crawford County. The group chose the recreation center as a way to impact the physical and social health of all residents of Crawford County.
 
Marathon Petroleum Senior Vice President of Refining Kevin Bogard was one of the original members of the Crawford County Recreation Center board. “Part of the vision here is to have more community-centric things here. It's going to be a cornerstone of this community. It's going to help this community continue growing and continue to be the great place that I've known for 30 years.”
 
He says the seed for this was first planted when the United Way held a series of community focus groups that asked the citizens of Crawford County questions like “what do you want the community to be?” and “where do we want to go?”
 
The CCRC Board raised money for the project, including gifts from corporate partners like Marathon, Hershey, Lincolnland Agri-Energy, and Crawford Memorial Hospital along with organizations like the United Way, the Crawford County Development Association, and the Lincoln Trail College Foundation. Illinois Eastern Community Colleges also helped with a contribution to the project and they will oversee the construction.
 
“I really appreciate the Crawford County Recreation Center board,” said Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Board of Trustees Chairman Gary Carter. “They have done so much legwork on this project. They have been out knocking on doors, putting plans together, dreaming together and doing all kinds of activities. And they have really are the ones that really made this work. I and the Illinois Eastern Community College Board, appreciate your group so much for wanting to partner with us. We're here to help to make your community better. And we're glad that you partnered with us in order to try to accomplish that goal. I'm excited about what I see. I was excited the first time I saw the plans. I think this is going to be an excellent place.”
 
The new facility includes a 6,000-square-foot fitness center with free weights and strength and cardiovascular machines. It will also have three rooms for fitness classes like yoga, spinning, and dance and a dedicated child watch room.  The large indoor walking track will allow year-round access to a safe and controlled environment for exercise.  The two indoor multipurpose sport courts will host basketball leagues, pickleball, and volleyball tournaments and will be available for after-school programming.  The new building will connect to the existing indoor swimming pool at Lincoln Trail College, which will also have new recreational features, including waterslides and an indoor party room.  Once complete, the entire facility will be over 36,000 square feet.  
 
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Chancellor Dr. Ryan Gower says this is just one more way to make Lincoln Trail College a hub of activities in Crawford County. He says that started with the addition of Statesmen Park and continued with the construction of Lackey Music Hall. “We want Lincoln Trail to be the hub for everything that is education and everything that is an enrichment to the quality of life.”
 
Gower also believes that the Crawford County Recreation Center will have an impact on the growth of the College. “In order for our colleges to grow, we are going to have to have the capacity to reach outside of District 529 to actively fight outmigration. Indiana the Indiana border is just a stone's throw away from us, and educational institutions can be a powerful tool to stop outmigration, to bring new talent in for other areas. But college students, particularly those who are not residents of District 529, are not just looking for excellent educational programs. They need to see a campus where they can study and where they can live.”
 
Work has already started on the Crawford County Recreation Center. Construction is expected to be complete in the summer of 2023 and the new facility should open to the public that fall.
 
Gower says right about the time that the CCRC opens, Lincoln Trail will be ready to break ground on its new technology center. The $14-million facility will house LTC’s career and technical education programs along with the University Partnership Center where residents will be able to earn a four-year degree without needing to leave home.