Kankakee Times

Hundreds gathered for the recent unveiling of the Village of Bourbonnais Community Campus final design, a result of thousands of participants who helped “Imagine Bourbonnais” during a year-long engagement process led by The Lakota Group, an urban planning and landscape architecture consulting firm the village commissioned to lead the project. For those who were unable to attend the Business After Hours event on Thursday, February 24th, the village invites the community to view the designs in-person throughout the month of March during business hours, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the Bourbonnais Police Department lobby at 700 Main Street NW. Additionally, all images are available for online viewing at villageofbourbonnais.com.

“We were very pleased with the recent design unveiling attendance but want to continue to provide additional opportunities for the community to be engaged, informed and have questions answered firsthand,” explained Mayor Paul Schore.

The Community Campus will serve as a destination-focused, central core to enhance the quality of life for residents of all ages while fostering economic development and attracting tourism. The gathering space will span across 10.5 acres around the Bourbonnais Municipal Center at 700 Main St. NW which currently includes Goselin Park, Children’s Safety Center and the George LeTourneau home.

Additional key components include, but are not limited to:

• Two-sided, state-of-the-art performance stage
• Picturesque festival street pedestrian walkway and connected paths
• Splash pad water feature with family changing rooms
• Modern ADA-compliant playground with strategically selected equipment for all ages of development
• Casual sitting areas with firepits
• Increased public parking for convenient access

“The Campus will provide fundamental environmental, aesthetic and recreational benefits to our region,” stated Village of Bourbonnais Assistant Administrator, Laurie Cyr. “It will also be a source of positive economic benefits. The Campus will enhance property values, increase municipal revenue, bring in homebuyers and workers and attract retirees.  The Campus is a good financial investment for the community.”

Village officials have identified and confirmed project funding sources as to not impact residential property tax rates which include revenues generated from three business districts and interest accrued from the wastewater treatment system sale.

The next stage in the development process includes requests for proposals on the currently estimated $20M project – one of the largest in the village’s history. Groundbreaking is slated to commence in mid-to-late 2022, with project completion estimated in one year to one year and a half.