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CHAMPAIGN — An esports lounge could be on the horizon for the Leonhard Recreation Center, along with an updated space for after-school activities and day camps.
Champaign Park District staff are proposing to convert a couple of offices, which are mainly used by part-time staff for after-school and day camp programs, into the esports space.
The indoor playground, on the other hand, would be turned into “a new, upgraded after-school/day camp programming space that houses the displaced staff as well.”
The proposal was presented as a discussion item at Wednesday’s park district board meeting.
Park district Executive Director Sarah Sanquist told The News-Gazette that the board was generally supportive of the idea but wanted more information before moving forward.
“They want to see what comes back from the facility study and think bigger picture about the entire first floor,” she said.
Prior to Wednesday’s board meeting, Sandquist said the park district hoped to potentially begin the project in the fall and have the new spaces ready to go for programming by January 2026.
However, she later said that the facilities study will be going on throughout the park district for most of the year, meaning that the project timeline will likely be pushed back.
The idea to reimagine the two spaces stems from a $325,000 donation received at the end of 2024, according to park district staff.
“We’re really grateful for this anonymous donation and think that we can utilize it to provide some updated space for our younger participants,” Sandquist said.
According to a staff report, the donor specified that $300,000 was to be used for “youth services development” and $25,000 was for scholarships.
“One of the desires with the donation was to support esports development,” park district staff wrote. “After touring various esports lounges and conducting both internal and external discussions, staff determined that an esports lounge would be best suited for the Leonhard Recreation Center.”
The park district previously experimented with esports leagues during the pandemic and saw some interest, Sandquist said.
“We recognize that not every teenager that comes here after school is interested in sports or playing in the open gym space,” she said. “So we want to provide another opportunity for different activities.”
The lounge is envisioned as being made up of two spaces: one area with computers and gaming systems, and another with comfortable seating.
Sandquist added that the park district would like to hire some “facilitators” for space who have experience with esports or gaming, as well as experience working with middle schoolers and teens.
“I think (the esports lounge will) be utilized by all ages, really, but we have a large group of middle schoolers that come over from Jefferson Middle School every day after school,” she said. “So I think that’ll be the majority of users, but then, outside of that, evenings and on the weekends, I think we’ll see usage by a broader range of youth and maybe even adults.”
She told The News-Gazette that the park district has looked into how other districts operate similar facilities and programs, and some possibilities include a mix of reserved and open time, as well as structured leagues.
“Having a sign-up after school and then specific time blocks is something that I think we’ll definitely be doing initially so that we can rotate kids through,” she said.
As for the new day camp and after-school space, Sandquist said it will likely look similar to the current set-up on the rec center’s second floor, with comfortable seating and areas for different activities.
Park district staff noted that the indoor playground has seen limited use. In the six months leading up to its closure for repairs, the playground was entered 882 times over 177 days for an average of about five visits per day. During that same period, the amenity was rented out 19 times.
“The repairs are enough to bring it back to operational, but overall, the playground structure is at end-of-life,” Sandquist said, adding that the repairs are needed to bring the 10-year-old fixture “up to a level that’s safe.”
