Residents who use the Batavia Township Community Center for its sports fields or walking trail will soon have a building with additional amenities available on the grounds.
“We have seen a need for this,” Batavia Township Administrator Rex Parsons said about the facility. “We knew there was a need for a restroom facility, this was just the next step in doing that.”
The 60-by-31-foot facility will not only include restrooms, but will also have a concession area, picnic area with a shelter, a garage for equipment and a storage area for supplies.
Parsons said local groups will be able to sell items at the concession stand as long as it is for a non-profit organization. The groups will be able to utilize the concession stand during baseball games and other events at the community center.
Batavia Township trustees chose and hired a temporary project manager for the facility, and Parsons said plans for the facility are being finalized. He said construction will begin as soon as possible and the facility should be finished 60 to 90 days after it is started.
The facility will add to the community center, which started off as 75 undeveloped acres. Thirty-five acres were fields that the township used for the community building and amenities. A walking path was also put in throughout the property. Parsons said a large portion of the property is still wooded, and they intend to keep it that way.
“We want to be a positive part of the community,” Parsons said. “For me, to have a true park you need to have active and passive areas.”
The new facility will be built near the baseball fields on the land already developed at the community center. Parsons said once the facility is complete there will be a ceremony to present it.
“Just having restrooms and an area to sit down I think is going to be a definite plus for the community,” Parsons said.