Evanston vendors and trade contractors interested in participating in the Robert Crown Community Center development will be able to attend a vendor fair May 1 at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center.

The fair will be held in the Parasol Room of the Civic Center, and participants will have the chance to learn about the project’s scope, anticipated trade opportunities, expected building materials and the project’s proposed construction schedule, according to a city news release.

The new community center will focus on creating a sense of connection for local residents, engineering and capital planning bureau chief Lara Biggs said at an April Evanston Arts Council meeting. The new center will be almost twice as large as the old building and feature most of the same facilities, she said, including a gymnasium, ice rinks and art rooms.

The site will also include three artificial turf fields, open green space and a surface parking lot, according to the release.

Biggs said talks about building the new center began in 2016, although discussions about renovating the facility date back to the early 2000s.

Construction will begin later this year, Biggs said, and the building is expected to be finished in 2020.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @sydstone16