Could next year be “the” year that work begins on the South Bend Kroc Community Center?

The St. Joseph County Salvation Army chapter has received a two million dollar commitment to the project—that will mark the largest single donation to date.

The development has officials talking about breaking ground for the center as early spring of 2010.

South Bend is the only community in Indiana chosen to take part in the Kroc Community Center project.

When the widow of McDonald’s restaurant founder Joan Kroc died—she donated $1.5 billion for the creation of community centers across the country.

The local Salvation Army chapter is in line to receive $40-million from the Kroc fund if it can raise $10-million in local matching money. The $2 million donation comes from the State of Indiana. The cash was included in the state budget passed by lawmakers in June.

“Well, you know the state gift is our largest gift, but there are other Kroc centers going up around the country and those too are being supported in various different ways by state government and by local government,” said Bob Webster of the St. Joseph County Salvation Army.

Even with the state money, the Salvation Army is still short of its fundraising goal. In nearly five years of trying, the campaign has netted nearly $7.5 million. However, construction can start if the $9 million mark is met.

“If we get to $9 million we’re able to break ground and start,” said Webster. “We would not be able to open the doors until we got to $10 million, but that’s really exciting is to know we’re just a million and a half away from actually seeing bulldozers on the property.”

The South Bend Kroc center would be about 85-thousand square feet. It would feature a water park, a pool, a gym, weight rooms, and a digital recording studio.

Planning began in December of 2004 after South Bend’s Kroc Center proposal was selected for funding.

Four Kroc Centers across the country have already been completed. They lie in the cities of Ashland, Ohio, Atlanta, Georgia, San Francisco, California, and Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.

Centers in Salem, Oregon and Omaha, Nebraska are expected to open by the end of 2009.

In addition to the state contribution of $2 million, the City of South Bend earlier committed $1 million to the cause. That means government has accounted for about 40-percent of all fundraising. “We don’t see in any way that there’s a church and state issue at hand here,” said Webster.

Webster pointed out that the government money would be placed into an endowment to cover the operating costs of the Kroc Center. He said care would be taken so that government monies would only be used to fund educational programs at the center.