Entering the Home Stretch
With less than 60 days until the building is complete, SOS Illinois and the construction crew entered the home stretch of the Roosevelt Square Community Center construction project. In the architecture and construction fields, this portion of the timeline includes a significant number of projects listed as FF&E, or otherwise known as furniture, fixtures, and equipment. This month, the FF&E projects completed made a substantial impact on bringing to life the interior renderings created by our project architect JGMA.
In August 2020, SOS Children’s Villages Illinois also saw the last few weeks of work on the building exterior continue to create the welcoming greenspace surrounding the facility with the building’s landscaping. Work is ongoing and topsoil has been spread. Additionally, curbs for the parking lot were framed and poured, as were the sidewalks around the perimeter of the building; and gravel for the parking lot was added.
In July, we shared the construction site security fence was taken down and community members were able to catch their first glimpse of the building. This month, both the exterior and interior signage were installed. Now passersby not only can view the full building, but also are able to see our name and know that SOS Children’s Villages Illinois is the organization bringing new services to their community.
Work inside the building moved at a rapid pace this month. Carpeting was installed throughout the building office area. The office furniture and reception desk were delivered and installed. Also, the entry door system, with ADA buttons, was installed.
Other noteworthy news to share is the progress being made in the Culinary Kitchen. The cabinets arrived and were installed. This exciting feature of the new Center, the Culinary Kitchen, is designed to educate the community about nutrition and culinary education and includes relevant job skills training. The 3,000-square-feet of kitchen and dining space will have an intentional design for culinary demonstrations, hands-on learning experiences, and special event entertaining space. Additionally, it will include stations for cooking instruction and student prep area to promote culinary and nutritional education programming, including access to the community garden.
We look forward to sharing more information about this program, other services we will offer, and progress on construction as the building nears completion.
Construction Timetable
As you will notice from the construction timeline presented in the last few blogs and below in this update, our friends at Lendlease have helped us achieve a great victory by keeping to our construction schedule. Supporting our children and families, Foster Parents, and staff is more important now than ever, and our new center will help us in so many capacities by providing needed programs and services. Below is a timetable of the community center’s construction:
Construction Began – October 2019
Foundation Complete – December 2019
Structure Complete – February 2020
Structure Enclosed – June 2020
Occupancy of Center – Mid-September 2020
Construction Complete – End of September 2020
The Roosevelt Square Community Center
This center, an 11,000 square foot space, will serve the children and families at our Roosevelt Square Village and surrounding communities. Programs will include academic, therapeutic, social, and recreational support; multi-use spaces for community members to connect to public resources and engage in training, activities, and events; as well as a signature culinary kitchen providing food and nutrition education, and jobs-skills training for the hospitality industry. In addition to the over one hundred children and families cared for by SOS Illinois, more than 5,000 people from the surrounding neighborhoods will be served by the center.
Ongoing Updates
Throughout the course of the construction project, visit the SOS Illinois blog to see videos, pictures, and updates on the progress of the building. We look forward to sharing each milestone reached in the development of this important community resource.
Missed a moment? Check out the updates from September, October, November, December, January 2020, February 2020, March 2020, April 2020, May 2020, June 2020, and July 2020.
Ways to Support the Community Center Project
Through the generous commitment of time, resources, and financial support of many, SOS Illinois is determined to raise the necessary investments to build the Community Center and provide a beacon for the Village residents and surrounding neighborhoods. For ways to invest or learn more about the Community Center, visit here.
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