The DeKalb County Exposition Authority Board voted last Wednesday to apply for certification to receive $12 million in state funds for construction of a DeKalb County civic center.

DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow, who is also board secretary, said at the board meeting that certification from the state does not commit the board to accept the funds Gov. James Thompson approved for the civic center.

The certification process takes between 60 and 90 days, Sparrow said. If the certification is OK’d, then the board will meet and vote on whether to accept the funds, he said. Monday was the deadline for sending the application to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.

Board member Barbara Kummerfeldt expressed concern that the board will be held accountable for information in the application. She said she wants to be sure that there is some flexibility because “some things need to be thoughtfully pursued.”

Ken Beasley, assistant to NIU President John LaTourette, said the board is not bound to the information in the application. He said the board may change several items in the application or the state may require several changes be made before they will give their final approval.

For example, the cost and site location need to be expressed clearly but the architectural drawings of the facility do not need to be included in the application, Beasly said.

The location will be “immediately west of the high rise dorms,” Beasley said. The facility will contain 9,000 seats for events such as basketball and 10,000 seats for events such as rock concerts, he said.

NIU also is discussing the possibility of putting athletic personnel offices in the civic center, Beasley said. NIU would pay rent for the office space, which would help alleviate some of the initial operational costs, he said.

If the certification is approved, the state will provide 75 percent of the funds to build the civic center, while local funds must match the remaining 25 percent of the project cost.

The Board of Regents, NIU’s governing body, approved Thursday the funding of $4 million in cash to match the local funds. Beasley said, “The project won’t fly without the university.”

Even though the exposition board agreed that NIU is needed for the project to prosper, the board will own the building until payment of state bonds is complete in about 20 years, Beasley said. After the bonds are paid the Regents probably will receive ownership of the facility, he said.

Sparrow said, “…The Board of Regents will get the building. They’re putting in the money and the land. I have no problem with that.”

Beasley said NIU will become the primary user of the civic center but stressed that it is a “multi-purpose facility for the county.”

Sen. Patrick Welch, D-Peru, sponsored the funding of the civic center in the Illinois Senate. He said funding would promote tourism and economic development in the area.

“These funds will provide construction jobs as well as permanent jobs at the center after it is open,” Welch said. “The monies also will bring more people into the area by offering shows and family entertainment.”