NEW COLLINWOOD COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER WILL BE “STATE-OF-THE-ART”
To those of us who frequently drive by the abandoned Big Lots/K-Mart building on Lake Shore Boulevard, the sign proclaiming that the Collinwood Community Recreation Center was on the way was welcome news. We have learned that the City has already spent more than a million dollars ($1,012,000) to purchase the building and five acres of land, and to pay an architect for the preliminary design. The land has been added to the 32 acres of the Humphrey’s Sports Complex making it one of Cleveland’s most complete recreation areas and a welcome addition to the Greater Collinwood community.
The next step is the delivery of engineering documents before the end of October. The $4 million of bond funds toward construction were passed last year. The additional $6 million needed to complete the project are part of the Five-Year Capital Plan which will be the subject of Council hearings in the near future.
The best news is that the ground breaking ceremony will be scheduled soon, and there will be another community meeting to get input from residents on the final design features.
The current plans for the Center include the latest in recreational facilities: a gymnasium with a three-lane indoor track, an indoor swimming pool with a water slide, a youth room, senior center, computer lab, learning center, multi-purpose meeting rooms, kitchen, fitness center, aerobics room and children’s space. Special aspects of the project include plentiful parking, landscaping, exterior pathways, an outdoor sunning area and entrance courtyard connected to the Lakeshore Golden Age Center and Humphrey’s Sports Complex. In addition, the building and site will contain community art of various types.
Another state-of-the-art element is that the Center will be a green building and is being submitted for LEED certification. It will include solar energy systems for power and hot water, high efficiency lighting and mechanical systems, recycled materials, energy monitoring, rain water harvesting and bio-retention swales among other sustainable design elements.
All of this is welcome news to the Greater Collinwood community. It has been a long time coming. We will be proud to have this wonderful facility as part of our neighborhood. ■