Now that the approval of $10.4 million for a DeKalb County civic center is virtually certain, area residents can look forward to the opening of this long-awaited and much-needed local resource.

Members of the DeKalb County Exposition Authority Board have discussed constructing a local civic center for about 15 years, but no action has been taken. The reason? Simple. Lack of money. With that obstacle removed, the path toward a DeKalb civic center is clear.

Along with the many benefits the center will provide for the city of DeKalb, NIU students, faculty and staff also will reap substantial rewards. A potential site for the center has not been discussed, but it seems evident that NIU’s campus and surrounding land are prime candidates for the site.

Looking at the larger appeal of the project, the DeKalb area is in dire need of a community center. With the city’s business district several blocks from the NIU campus, a civic center on or near campus certainly will serve to bring NIU and DeKalb residents together.

The bill calling for a civic center, which was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly by Sen. Patrick Welch, D-Peru, includes a newly attached proposal calling for the construction of other civic centers in Illinois. This is encouraging, as it promises greater state-wide community development.

NIU and the DeKalb County area hopefully will do everything in their power to support and utilize a new civic center. To do otherwise would be a tremendous waste of this huge investment in NIU and the community.