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FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ill. (WSIL)-- Many people have memories of the Rend Lake Resort.

It closed in 2016, but in 2022 Governor Pritzker announced it would be renovated. 

Now two years later people want to know when the resort will reopen.

Rend Lake has always been a place for people to get away. People could tee it up at the golf course or catch some fish. But the Rend Lake Resort for many years has been the missing piece. 

Joe Oker says he has a lot of happy memories from the resort and says it was one of his first jobs as a teenager. 

“I got that job there. It wasn't too far from home. Made some decent money, made some new friends, and met some interesting people that weren't from around here,� Oker said. 

He was sad when it closed in 2016. 

“I thought it was taking something away from this area. I was kind of upset that they didn't take better care of it, you know, that it went in disarray like that,� Oker said.

But Oker says when he heard it was going to be renovated in 2022, he realized he could make new memories with his kids there.

“A long time ago it was a good place to take your family, go with friends, and have a nice dinner,� Oker says. “It was a great place to go locally, enjoy yourselves without having to travel too far.��

Now two years later, not a lot has changed, but Illinois State Representative Dave Severin and State Senator Terri Bryant said a lot of work has been going on in the background including finalizing bids and securing funding.

“There's a lot to be done there. But the people that have come in and bid on this, they have actually taken tours of each piece of each building specifically so they know what they've bid on,� Severin said.

Work has already begun with construction crews replacing the asphalt, but Severin and Bryant say the remodeling will take some time.

“The structure itself is sound, and that makes it much easier to put everything back together again. There was some mold remediation that has to be done,� Bryant said. 

Severin said when they originally put the bids out there for the remodeling, the bids came back higher than they expected. 

“We appreciate the director of IDNR and also the governor's office making a commitment to put more funds in to be able to bring this project correctly,� Severin said.

Rick Linton used to work for Rend Lake's Tourism and says when the resort closed the area lost more than just some available lodging, but also some of their advertising budget.

“When that closed it took about 50% of our tax base away 'cause this, this was really putting a lot of money into our efforts, at that time we were advertising on channels 3, 12, and 6. And we were also advertising in St. Louis in Chicago,� Linton says. “We've not been able to reach out as far into the media, into the region in the four state area. Like we should be able to.�

Linton says like other Southern Illinoisans he has memories at the resort too.

“We've come out here many times with our family to have dinner and all kinds of events that were held out here, and really looking forward to seeing this facility open again,� Linton said.

Both Bryant and Severin say they're excited for the restaurant to open again.

And Oker says it would be something if his son got his first job there too.

“He could go there. Bus tables, wash dishes,� Oker says. “Yeah, I think it'd give a lot of people an opportunity.�

For now, Oker and his son are both enjoying the water and waiting patiently.