Whittington, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB), alongside of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has begun a $26.4 million renovation of the Rend Lake Resort facilities at Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area to the south of IL. The project aims to revitalize the resort property, which has been vacant for almost a decade.

According to a news release, the selected contractor, Fager-McGee Commercial Construction, has already begun demolition and remediation work across the resort’s 17 buildings. While a significant amount of initial work involved addressing unforeseen building issues behind the scenes, visible construction progress is expected to accelerate in the coming months.

“We are thrilled to see this long-awaited project progressing. Rend Lake is an Illinois treasure and a point of pride for thousands of residents,” said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie, in a news release. “I appreciate Governor Pritzker’s commitment to getting the resort back up and running. We know how great the anticipation is in southern Illinois and how important this project is to the regional economy.”

The renovations include interior and exterior improvements such as full renovations of 11 cabins, including ADA accessible and standard, with new siding, windows, doors, insulation, drywall, finishes, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and roof coatings.

Exterior upgrades including new siding, roof recoating, balcony decking, and concrete masonry cleaning; complete interior renovation with updated finishes and fixtures are ongoing for the Schooner Boatel

For the Flagship Boatel, structural repairs to the building and exterior walkway, walkway surfaces, concrete masonry cleaning, roof coating, and full interior renovations will be done. Due to structural complexities, this building is expected to be completed after the rest of the resort.

The restaurant will undergo complete deck replacement, sidewalk, new roof coating, and full interior upgrades including new kitchen equipment, HVAC, finishes, and fixtures.

Replacement of flat roofs, roof coatings on metal roofs, exterior painting, some siding replacement, and interior renovation including HVAC, finishes, fixtures, and kitchen equipment for the conference center.

Exterior work including new siding, roof coating, and deck replacement will be done at the resorts general store is underway, as well as interior improvement including HVAC and a flexible layout.

Replacement of pool equipment, removal of the hot tub and installation of a new children’s splash pool, roof coating, and repairing of surfaces for the onsite pool

Complementing earlier improvements completed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), there will the addition of a new playground, upgraded tennis courts, repairs to docks, and trash enclosure enhancements.

“The Rend Lake Resort is a treasured recreational destination in southern Illinois and we are proud to partner with IDNR to bring it back to life”, said TJ Edwards, executive director of the Capital Development Board, also in a news release

State Representative Dave Severin (R – Benton) commented in the news release, “Crews are hard at work on renovations at Rend Lake Resort, and I am encouraged by the actions being taken by IDNR and the contractors working at the facility, I set a goal of getting Rend Lake Resort back open to the public, and we are making progress toward that goal every day. This is an impressive renovation. Quite simply, IDNR is doing this right, and the people of Southern Illinois will eventually have access to a world-class facility where they can gather for special events and make memories that last a lifetime.”