Serving as the main office of the District, the Sugar Creek Administration Center is where visitors can register for programs, purchase annual dog park memberships, and reserve a picnic, campsite, or meeting room. Informational brochures and preserve maps are available at no cost at the Center as well.

The Center is also home to the District's Educational Loan Kit Program. Loan kits contain a collection of educational materials and resources that help students explore a specific subject. Kits are available, free of charge, for teachers and youth leaders to check out for up to two weeks.

 

The Center's design and construction includes many green technologies, including photovoltaic cells, recycled materials, movable interior walls, extensive use of glass, raised floor construction, indoor air quality, absence of gutters, landscaping, and detention pond design. The building has gained recognition for the District from the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

 

 

The Center also provides main access to the Wauponsee Glacial Trail, with ample parking for vehicles and horse trailers. Named after an ancient glacial lake, this 23-mile trail, comprised of limestone screening, follows an abandoned rail line sothward from Joliet to Custer Park and is ideal for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. A 2.7-mile section of the trail runs north of the Sugar Creek Administration Center, and this portion is made of asphalt and runs through a heavily wooded landscape.

Photographs Courtesy of Glenn P. Knoblock