After it was reported Monday that the timeline for the construction of the NIU-affiliated proton therapy center would be delayed, people with knowledge of the facility said they are hopeful the center will open on schedule.

The $159 million Northern Illinois Proton Treatment and Research Center LLC (NIPTRC) was set to open spring 2010. The economic downturn caused NIPTRC officials to hold off on selling bonds that would be used to fund the facility.

“The first thing to realize is we’ve had a complete meltdown of the financial sector,” said spokesman for NIPTRC Gary Mack. “The health care industry has been especially hard hit. Upon the advice of the Northern Illinois Proton Center’s adviser, we took the bond offering off the table for the next couple of months or so. In the meantime, the project is to go forward with interim financing.”

In August, NIPTRC received preliminary approval to issue bonds through the Illinois Finance Authority, The Associated Press reported. Then the bond market took a downturn. It is expected that they will be put up for sale in a few months, Mack said.

Construction on the 110,000-square foot center began in June in West Chicago but has been halted recently because of inclement weather. Mack is unsure how much has been spent on the center to date but said it is in the millions. “The proton accelerator itself is being built in Germany, on time, on target,” Mack said.

The center is scheduled to be the first of its kind in Illinois. Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiotherapy, and the non-invasive therapy will be used to treat certain cancers in children and adults alike, according to the center’s Web site.

When asked if the project will open as scheduled, Myron Siegel, member of the NIU Board of Trustees, said, “I don’t have a crystal ball. At the moment, we are currently on schedule.”

He said it is possible that some of the project will be paid for by federal infrastructure funding.