New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann shared updates Monday efforts for welcome a new museum and open a sports complex in the village.
The KidsWork Children’s Museum, moving from the Trolley Barn in Frankfort to 375 Veterans Parkway in New Lenox, is set to open next month after more than a year of construction, Baldermann said. The grand opening is set during regular museum hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 13, he said.
The move came after KidsWork, Will County’s sole children’s museum, outgrew its 6,500-square-foot space in Frankfort. Since opening in 2007, the museum’s popularity surged, attracting 40,000 visitors annually.
“This is going to be like unlike any other children’s museum,” Baldermann said. “We’ve kept some of the great things that they had, concepts that they had at the (Frankfort) children’s museum, and added some new concepts.”
The museum will have a 12,000-square-foot facility with a 4,200-square-foot outdoor play and picnic area.
The new exhibits offer a range of experiences, including activities that develop language and social skills, introduce children to various countries and cultures and teach the scientific method. Other exhibits invite exploration of the solar system and promote motor skill development, according to updates on the village’s website.
Baldermann said the village is working with an exhibit designer who creates displays for Pixar and Disney. The village also partnered with the Lion’s Club, an international service organization headquartered in Oak Brook, to create exhibits accessible for children with disabilities, he said.
An artist rendering showos the planned KidsWork Children’s Musem to be housed in a new 12,000 square-foot facility in the New Lenox Commons. (Village of New Lenox)
Baldermann said work continues on the $70 million Crossroads Sports Complex, near Silver Cross Hospital close to Interstates 355 and 80.
Baldermann said the village received multiple proposals to build a warehouse to store trucks on the 100-acre property, but officials did not want to use the property for industrial purposes.
“We did not want that here on this prime real estate, and we certainly didn’t want to put it next to a hospital where ambulances need to get here in or in a quick fashion,” he said. “We held out, and we decided that we would build the sports complex, because so many people have come to us and said, there’s a need.”
Village officials broke ground Aprill 22 for the complex, which will feature 29 youth baseball or softball fields, or 12 soccer or multiuse fields. It will also include a welcome center, three full-service concession stands, a beer garden, playground and 15 batting cages.
The village chose a name and logo for the complex that will showcase shades of blue accented by red and white, with an eagle prominently featured at its center. This design is inspired by New Lenox’s historical motto, Home of Proud Americans, which has represented the village since 1970, according to the village’s website.
Baldermann said officials are exploring plans to attract hotels, restaurants and retail businesses to the 12-acres of land near the sports complex. About 300 acres north of Route 6 is being considered as a potential site for more hotels and businesses that would complement the sports complex, he said.
New Lenox officials including Mayor Tim Baldermann and members of the sports complex development team break ground April 22, 2024, for the new Crossroads Sports Complex. (Michelle Mullins/for Daily Southtown)
The complex, still in the early stages of construction, is expected to open in Spring 2025, Baldermann said.
The village is also working to acquire funding for a 140-acre fieldhouse, which will host national tournaments for volleyball and basketball, Baldermann said.
Both the sport’s complex and museum are partially funded by village reserves, he said.
“We’re not going out to the taxpayers. We’re taking that money that we have and we’re reinvesting in our community,” he said.
The village also plans to build a downtown area in New Lenox, he said.
During Monday’s State of the City event at Silver Cross Hospital, officials from the Park District and Fire Department provided updates, as well as school districts sharing updates on the state of district finances.
Lori Motsch, superintendent of New Lenox Elementary District 122, said the district has maintained a balanced budget for 10 years, which gave the district the ability to complete $30 million in building upgrades since 2014 using only cash reserves.
Scott Tingley, superintendent of Lincoln-Way High School District 210, said the district has worked through a financial crisis over the last 10 years, and now has a 10-year plan for growing the district’s finances and reach.
“Over the next 10 years, we will retire quite a bit of debt,” Tingley said.
Baldermann, who is the superintendent of Union Elementary District 81, said New Lenox homeowners who live in the district will receive a property tax rebate for the ninth consecutive year.
“Every single residential household will getting will get about 42% or 43% of their total tax bill back by us. So those checks are going out in the next month again,” he said.
Baldermann, mayor for 17 years, said he donates his $18,000 annual salary to an assistance program that helps struggling residents with bills and other expenses.
“It’s important to us that we keep that small charm feel, small community feel. However we are growing,” Baldermann said. “It’s about doing it responsibly. And what we want to do is we want to attract people to our community.”
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