Friends of the Robert Crown Center (FRCC) announced Monday that it transferred another $600,000 to the City of Evanston for the new Robert Crown Community Center, bringing the total transferred in cash from FRCC and State of Illinois to $11.437 million, enough to cover $6 million in construction costs and nearly all of the $5,841,607 in principal and interest payments to date.
“Because of the generosity of our nearly 1,400 donors, Friends of the Robert Crown Center is happy to transfer another $600,000 to the City of Evanston, covering nearly all debt payments so far and freeing up city resources for youth services, affordable housing and public safety initiatives,” said Daniel Stein, President of the Friends of the Robert Crown Center, who added “RCCC’s educational and recreational programming offerings are packed with people of all ages and from every corner of the city. The success of the center so far has surpassed our wildest dreams thanks to a great design and the exemplary work of Jeron Dorsey and the RCCC staff.”
With this additional payment, FRCC will now have transferred the entire $6 million commitment made on direct construction costs for the new Robert Crown Community Center (RCCC), as well as an additional $5,437,000 million toward principal and interest payments on both sets of bonds issued.
All told, FRCC has raised nearly $14.4 million in donations and commitments for the new Robert Crown Community Center, including working with Senator Laura Fine and Representatives Robyn Gabel and Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz to win $1.5 million from Governor JB Pritzker’s 2019 capital bill. The state has already transferred $1,000,000 from this capital bill to the City of Evanston, bringing the total revenue generated by efforts of FRCC to nearly $11.5 million.
The American Public Works Association named the Robert Crown Community Center and Library its 2021 Project of the Year for structures in the $25-$75 million category, its highest national honor. This is the first time the City of Evanston has won APWA’s top national award, one the city shares with no other municipality in the country. In May, RCCC was also certified LEED Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council for advanced energy efficiency design.
Submitted by Friends of the Robert Crown Center
What happened to the money that was to repair the old Robert Crown Center ?
Critics of the City for construction of the RCCC need to read news like this and admit their attacks were shortsighted. It is a wonderful place serving a part of Evanston much in need and the sky didn’t fall like doomsayers claimed.