Salvation Army awaits approvals

September 28, 2008

By Kelly Wilson

Demolition on the site of the future Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center was completed in August, but Quincy Salvation Army officials are waiting for various approvals before construction can begin.

“A lot of people think that we have the land, the land is cleared and we have the money, why don’t we have a building? There’s still a lot of work that has to be done before the actual construction can begin,” said Patty Douglas, Kroc facilitator. “Every phase of the project has to go through an approval process.”

The local Salvation Army board, the regional office in St. Louis and the corporate office in Des Plaines must all approve each phase of the project, and “that takes time,” Douglas said.

Douglas said the design and development documents are finished but awaiting approval. Construction documents then will require approval before the project can go out to bid.

“We’re hoping to break ground and get moving on construction by the end of the year,” Douglas said. “Construction should be completed sometime in the fall of 2010.” Rising costs of fuel, materials and other costs related to construction have forced the Salvation Army to make changes to stay within the $20 million construction budget.

“We don’t want to reduce square footage or any of the programming space, so we’re looking at other things, maybe different materials on the building, different finishes,” Douglas said. “One of the big examples, we had originally looked at terrazzo floors for the gallery space and the stairs. We may need to change that to

stained concrete.” Douglas said the changes won’t have any effect on the overall aesthetics of the building.

“There are some really beautiful things you can do with concrete and with some of the silicone finishes to make them a little more glossy,” she said. “That’s what we’re working on, to maintain the integrity of the design.”

The Quincy Salvation Army learned in November 2006 that it would receive $40 million from the Kroc estate, half to be used to construct the center and half to be used for an endowment to operate the center. The Kroc estate trust document states that the facility must be of high quality and built with excellence in mind. The 88,125-square-foot center will be built on a 3.5-acre site bordered by Broadway, Vermont, Fourth and Fifth streets.

While demolition of the Salvation Army buildings on site is completed, two tanks were found underground at the end of the demolition process, and remediation work is in progress. Ten other tanks already have been removed.

“It’s almost like a clean canvas,” Douglas said of the construction site. “We’re getting ready for the artist to paint a new picture.”

The heart of the Kroc Center will be a 500-seat worship center that also will be used for Christian concerts, speakers, theatrical productions and other community events. A major attraction will be an aquatics center with features such as a water slide, a lazy river, a water vortex, a zero-entry wading area, lap lanes and a family spa. Other recreational features will include a rock climbing/bouldering wall, a fitness center, a walking track, a 500-seat gymnasium with regulation basketball court and retractable batting cages, a game room, and a child watch area with an accessible outdoor play area.

The Kroc Center also will include a large community room, two party rooms, a cafe/snack bar, an arts and crafts room, various classroom space and a commercial/teaching kitchen.