The Taylorville Family Entertainment Center is in its final stages of construction.

The project broke ground on U.S. Highway 80 in late October under the direction of proprietor Dr. Bruce Taylor. Taylor’s medical office is adjacent to the entertainment center.

The center will include laser tag, four children’s party rooms, a miniature indoor golf course and three outdoor pavilions. The smallest pavilion can seat between 50-70 people, and the largest seats about 400. Taylor originally planned two pavilions with a third to be built later, but demand for large gatherings prompted him to construct all three right away.

“The overall concept is really geared toward kids 12 and under. There will be some things inside for the whole family to do,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he doesn’t anticipate any obstacles for the planned April 7 grand opening.

Architect for the project, Greg Kamback of Bird & Kamback Architects LLC in Huntsville, said crews are working fervently to open the site to the public soon.

“It’s in the finishing stages right now; of course the structure’s all up,” Kamback said. “The parking lot is being prepared for pavement. There’s a lot of real fancy electronics that are going in that building. A lot of data wiring because he’s going to have computer games, and all the game machines are going to be tied together with computers.”

The building is state-of-the-art in several ways. Kamback said different consultants were brought in to ensure that several different aspects worked properly. For instance, the laser tag arena has a fog machine, and the interior is blacklight-sensitive to create a special visual feel.

“There will be a whole room dedicated to computer games like the Wii and XBox,” Kamback said. “People will be able to play tournaments or play online. I think people are going to be real excited about that. A lot of the video games will be cutting edge games.”

A staff of 32 is already on board, but Taylor will increase that to 50 before the summer to accommodate social gatherings and a higher volume of customers.

Security is also at a premium. Cameras and security guards will be placed throughout the facility, and both the inside and outside will be well lit.

“We really do want to make sure people feel safe and secure,” Taylor said. “There are 36 cameras inside and outside and covering every exit.”