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Final Preparations Under Way for Helwig Center Dedication
CHICAGO, IL (September 15, 2006) - Workers were working non-stop on Thursday preparing the 68,000-square-foot Helwig Recreation Center for the dedication ceremony slated for 2 p.m. Friday on the campus of North Park University.
Gaining perspective on the sheer size of the building is difficult. Standing on the balcony at the north end of the building, the visitor gets only hint at the breadth of the artificial turf area with the batting cage at the south end. One’s head must be tilted all the way back to see the top of the climbing wall.
All faculty, students and staff at the university will be able to use the facility, which also will house a two-lane, 200-meter indoor track, two basketball and four volleyball courts, weight room, and fitness center. Athletic offices and classrooms for varsity athletics and training programs also are located in the building.
 A special dedication ceremony for the Bosko Djurickovic and Daniel McCarrell Basketball Courts was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday to kick off a 3-on-3 tournament. The courts are being dedicated in honor of the two North Park men’s basketball coaches who lead the Vikings to five national championships.
The Friday ceremony marks the near completion of a project that began four years ago after a number of ideas had been considered for more than a decade, says Athletic Director Jack Surridge. Ground was broken during a ceremony on May 13, 2005.
Construction suffered a slight delay because of unusual circumstances – nice weather during the winter. The warm weather and rain made the ground very soft, making it nearly impossible for the giant crane to move the concrete slabs. The Helwig Recreation Center is named in honor of lead donors David and Nancy Helwig, who graduated in 1978, and were members of the third generation of their respective families to attend the school.
David Helwig is president and CEO of the West Region SBU for WellPoint, Inc., which includes Blue Cross of California, and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado and Nevada. The remainder of the facility’s $12.5 million cost was covered by the university’s recent $26 million capital campaign, completed last spring by a challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation and donations from nearly 3,000 individuals.
This building is the capstone to a series of improvements to North Park University’s recreation and athletic facilities, including the Holmgren Athletic Complex, dedicated in 2004, and the soccer and track facility at River Park shared with the Chicago Park District, which was completed in 2000.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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