All along, it has seemed to me that the City of Crystal Lake has been the prime driver in making the abandoned Northwestern (formerly Centengra) HealthBridge Fitness Center a public property.
Mayor Hagg Haleblian made two pitches at Park Board meetings I have attended, the second one in July when he said he had found a person will to donate $1 million toward the $4.2 million price.
I made a Freedom of Information request to the City asking for “all documents, including emails and texts, regarding the potential purchase of the former Healthbridge facility by the City or the Park District, dated November 1, 2024 or later.”
A reply came yesterday containing an email to City Manager Eric Helm from John Green, the man who seems to have an option on the property.:
The was also an analysis of a “Crystal Lake Fitness and Aquatic Center” for Lynwood Development of Cary by Health Fitness. Arch Hasler is the consultant who did the work for Health Fitness.
There is also a $400 evaluation of the complex’ roof by NIR, a roofing company. They were found to be in pretty good shape.
I have tried to pull out the most relevant parts of the business plan put together by Health Fitness, whick appear below:
Now that the Park Board has indicated it does not intend to purchase the property, will the City of Crystal Lake pursue that path.
My guess is the Lynwood Development passed on purchasing HealthBridge, which would probably be the stimulus for Crystal Lake’s Mayor to promote its purchase by the Crystal Lake Park District.
