Lake County Gazette

The Park District of Highland Park announced that on January 15, the Park Board of Commissioners approved construction for a new recreation facility at West Ridge Park. Construction is scheduled to begin in March.

The new recreation facility will replace the existing West Ridge Center and will feature an aquatic center with an indoor pool, a full-sized gymnasium, an indoor track, multi-purpose program spaces, and a dedicated gymnastics gym. The building design aims to maximize space efficiency and blend into the park, offering flexible and inclusive rooms for recreational services. After the new building is operational, the current West Ridge Center will be demolished.

According to the announcement, all programs at West Ridge Center will continue as scheduled through 2025 without any anticipated disruption during the transition to the new facility.

Construction fencing is expected to be installed in March 2025. Once installed, the orientation of the south parking lot along Ridge Road will be modified. During construction, access to this area will be restricted for construction personnel. The north parking lot entrance will become two-way traffic for patron use.

The park areas outside of the construction fencing—including playgrounds, basketball courts, western ballfield—and most paths will remain open for public use.

The district also announced plans for a future introduction of a10 ,000-square- foot gymnastics gym which is over double the size of the existing gym at Centennial Ice Arena. Gymnastics programs will continue at Centennial Ice Arena until further notice.

The project is expected to reach completion by Spring 2026. Toward late-2025, detailed information about transitioning to the New Recreation Facility will be shared.