Frankfort park district gym now open for programs

  • 2024-01-31
The gym in the Founders Community Center in Frankfort, which was closed earlier last year due to damage, has now reopened.

News of such openings is often made known throughout a community with flyer printing.

Engineers had discovered that two out of the four wood bow string trusses in the roof system of the gym had been damaged. The damaged trusses were repaired, and steel rods were installed in all four trusses. The length of the gym, which is 80 feet, is spanned by these trusses. The trusses had been enclosed in soffits with acoustic insulation on the ceiling.

Gina Hassett, executive director of the Frankfort Parks District, said that repairs to the ceiling will be delayed as the gym is needed for upcoming programming. Hassett added that it is used for special events and without the availability of the gym, the number of attendees to these events would be greatly reduced.

The repairs so far have cost just under $300,000. There will be additional costs for repairs to the acoustic insulation, the ceiling, and damage to the tuckpointing on the exterior of the building.

The Founders Community Center was previously the Frankfort Middle School. In 1959, the gym was built. The administrative offices of the Park District have been housed in the Founders Community Center, along with its programs and activities since it acquired the property in 1997.