CUDAHY : Lugo Park Plans Include Youth Center

The City Council last week approved adding a youth center to a community facility that will be built in Lugo Park.

To fund the youth center, the city is applying for $250,000 from the county Regional Park and Open Space District’s Safe Neighborhood Park grant program. The funds are needed because the cost of adding a youth area to the community center were higher than expected, said Nick Mull, assistant city manager. The city received $1.3 million in Proposition A funds last year that cover the park expansion.

Cudahy needs additional athletic facilities because its after-school sports programs, including basketball, volleyball, baseball, flag football, cross-country, and track and field, have tripled in size, said Rob Gaylord, parks and recreation director.

In addition to the community center, the expansion of Lugo Park will include a soccer field and expanded picnic and parking areas.

The youth center will provide students with a place to come after school to relax, watch television or do their homework, Mull said. The facility will feature a private area with computers and reference materials, and a social area that will include a TV, VCR and jobs board.

Bids on the community center will be sought in May. The park expansion is to be finished in 1995.