The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and Naperville’s Fry Family YMCA are urging the Naperville Park District to not pursue a referendum for the March 2026 ballot, citing possible duplication of services and affordability concerns for residents.

As part of its efforts, the YMCA sent a letter asking the park district to pause its referendum plans. The YMCA has also created a website to help communicate its stance with others, which includes a section where residents can send a letter opposing the referendum.

“The Y Naperville hasn’t been in a position like this before,” said Erika Wood, executive director of the Fry Family YMCA. “The reason for us to do this is we feel like it’s important that we shared that we want to collaborate, that we want to be a good partner in the community.”

Currently, the Naperville Park District is in the process of assessing community feedback on a potential $135 million bond sale referendum to help fund a number of capital improvement projects.

As of right now, park district officials believe the total price tag for all of the work proposed is about $139 million. If $135 million is funded with bond sale money, the rest would come from budget reserves, officials said.

One of the most notable proposed projects is a new activity center at the Frontier Sports Complex, located on the city’s south side. If built, it would cost an estimated $119 million and could include gyms, group exercise rooms and three types of swimming pools, among other features.

The YMCA, however, indicated it believes that the Frontier Sports Complex may be too similar to other facilities in the area, including the Fry Family YMCA off of 95th Street. According to a letter in opposition to the referendum, the proposed activity center would be about 3,800 feet from the Fry Family YMCA  and about 4,100 feet from a new private facility under construction.

The Fry Family YMCA offers a swimming pool, health and wellness programs and fitness training, among other features.

“This potential development would impact the community in a way financially, but also is a duplication of services in one concentrated area,” said Erika Wood, executive director of the Fry Family YMCA. “So for us, standing up and asking publicly for the park district to pause it is something that is unique to what we’re doing, but we also think it’s important.”

Naperville Park District proposed the referendum as a response to growing demands from the community for more services and facilities. Prior research conducted by the park district indicated that residents want to see more indoor recreation spaces, particularly more aquatic facilities.

On top of that, membership and use continues to climb at the park district’s Fort Hill Activity Center. Compared to last year, fitness center use is up at the facility by 19%, park district officials said at a Nov. 13 board meeting. Personal training at Fort Hill is also up by 28% while group exercise is up by 13% and track use up by 23%.

That demand also comes after the closure of the over 100-year-old Kroehler YMCA in Naperville in 2020, citing financial stress due to the pandemic.

“The Fry Family YMCA agrees Naperville needs more indoor recreation space—but not through a plan like this,” the YMCA letter said.

In a statement to the Naperville Sun, the park district said that their own research indicates that there is “a need for both the YMCA’s services and also additional facilities and services in south Naperville.”

“Residents and program participants have repeatedly communicated their desire for more indoor recreation space, including indoor aquatics, with a priority to expand indoor recreation in south Naperville,” according to the statement.

Other concerns surrounding the referendum highlighted by the YMCA include potential affordability challenges posed to Naperville residents.

“A $135 million bond, at 5.0% interest for 20 years, will carry significant expenses to homeowners and taxpayers,” the letter said, arguing that the total cost to Naperville residents will exceed $215 million over the next twenty years, depending on how the bond is structured.

Should the referendum be approved, 0.0876 cents per $100 of Equalized Assessed Value would be added to the tax rate, per previous reporting. The owner of a home with a fair market value of $500,000 would pay about $139 more a year in taxes, or about $12 a month, for the next 20 years, according to district estimates.

Proposed membership fees for the Frontier Sports Complex activity center only add to those concerns for the YMCA, with such proposed fees higher than the Fort Hill Activity Center.

On top of that, the YMCA also cited potential for the aquatics facility to not do as well as expected, pointing to financial statements of facilities in the region that have aquatics components. While those facilities – located in Waukegan, Romeoville and Aurora – all have their own features, they are all aquatics facilities that are operating at a loss and requiring “substantial intergovernmental transfers from property taxes to stay open,” the letter said.

When asked what the YMCA would like to see instead from the park district in addressing resident needs, Wood said the YMCA does not have a perfect solution, but would like to collaborate more with the park district on alternative options.

“We want to be good stewards,” Wood said. “This is a large expense on the community, and so we want to have a dialogue about how we can work together that maybe isn’t quite a financial burden that this potentially could be on the community.”

The park district issued a statement in response to the YMCA’s letter, saying it will consider the YMCA’s request as it sorts through the feedback from the open houses and surveys it held this past fall.

“All of this information will lead to a decision by the Board of Commissioners as to whether to place the actual development of the concept before the voters through a referendum question on the ballot,” the park district statement said. “The concept can only move forward if the voters approve.”

cstein@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/21/ymca-naperville-park-district-halt-referendum/