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Parkside Fitness locker rooms get a $500,000 'gut job' makeover

The men's and women's locker rooms at Parkside Fitness in Pekin each has a new handicap accessible infrared sauna. A wooden paneled room with low benches is pictured.
Pekin Park District
The men's and women's locker rooms at Parkside Fitness in Pekin each has a new handicap accessible infrared sauna.

Parkside Fitness opened in 1975.

That's when the new Pekin Park District facility's men's and women's locker rooms were built for its members.

Since then, the park district has done multiple upgrades and repairs to the locker rooms.
This year, it was time for the locker rooms to get a major overhaul.

A "gut job," is how Keith Knox describes it. Knox has been Parkside's manager since 2000.
Work began on the "gut job" project in early June and was completed just before Thanksgiving. Knox deemed the $500,000 project a success.

"The two goals for the project were to ensure full ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) access in the locker rooms and modernize them. I'm very pleased to say we've done both," he said.

Here's what was done in the locker rooms in prior years, according to Knox:

Lockers were added and updated, flooring (carpet and tile) was replaced, painting was done, in-ground and above-ground whirlpools were removed, saunas were rebuilt and "some efforts were made to be as ADA compliant as possible given the fact that the facility was built pre-ADA," he said.

Here's what was done this year. Workers:

  • Removed some stud walls and replaced them with masonry walls.
  • Created new stud walls.
  • Retiled floors.
  • Retiled shower areas and wet wall restroom areas.
  • Repainted the entire locker room area.
  • Created new shower stalls, including a handicap accessible one in each locker room.
  • Installed new toilet partitions, including a handicap stall in each locker room.
  • Installed new handicap accessible sinks in each locker room.
  • Installed new bench seating, including handicap accessible benches in each locker room.
  • Installed new lockers.
  • Installed new entry doors.
  • Built a new handicap accessible infrared sauna in each locker room.
  • Installed new carpet, tile and base in the hallway outside the locker room area.

Farnsworth Group of Peoria did the engineering and design work and the D. Joseph Construction of Peoria was the contractor in the design/build project.

When Parkside opened in 1975, it was called The Court House because of its four indoor tennis courts.

Here's a look inside the renovated men's locker room at Parkside Fitness in Pekin. A double bathroom sink in a gray tiled room with a new countertop, basins, handles and mirror is pictured.
Pekin Park District
Here's a look inside the renovated men's locker room at Parkside Fitness in Pekin.

The facility's name was changed to Parkside Athletics Racquet & Health Club and then to Parkside Fitness three years ago when park district facilities were rebranded.

Parkside has more than 2,800 members and 55,000 square feet of fitness amenities including pickleball, tennis, wallyball and racquetball courts, fitness equipment, and group and personal training programs.

The facility is located in Mineral Springs Park at 300 Red Bud Drive, next to Veterans Memorial Arena.

Steve Stein is an award-winning news and sports writer and editor. Most recently, he covered Tazewell County communities for the Peoria Journal Star for 18 years.