East Bay city to bring back downtown community center

Residents in downtown Pittsburg will quickly as soon as once more have an area for leisure actions corresponding to basketball, karate, health lessons and indoor pickleball.

The previous Marina Neighborhood Heart – for many years used as a sheriffs’ coaching heart – is now being refurbished for all to get pleasure from. The Metropolis Council on Monday unanimously accredited the mission’s preliminary $750,000 finances utilizing surplus Measure M half-cent gross sales tax funds to deliver the previous heart at 340 Marina Blvd. again to its glory days.

Work first started on constructing a downtown group heart in 1972, and over the following 30 years, the constructing was used for quite a lot of issues, corresponding to senior providers, summer season applications, afterschool applications, lessons, a preschool, and metropolis and county workplaces. It was the town’s solely such heart.

“This grew to become that one-stop store or hub for group info and applications,” stated Kolette Simonton, Pittsburg director of recreation.

However in 2002, the town leased the 13,300-square-foot property to Contra Costa County to function the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Academy, which introduced a police presence to the realm, which was experiencing crime points and was present process a giant redevelopment effort on the time, in keeping with Simonton.

The lease got here to an finish in December. Months earlier, Pittsburg notified the county it could not prolong the lease after the council had determined it was time to deliver the location again for leisure and academic functions. Residents had been asking for a group heart for some years.

In finances classes final Could, the council earmarked as much as $1.5 million for the refurbishing mission, noting it’s being completed in phases and employees may need to return to request extra funds for all of the renovations.

Among the enhancements embody repairing the gymnasium ground, HVAC repairs, making the constructing ADA accessible, and including new furnishings, safety and know-how, in keeping with the employees report.

As at present configured, the Marina Neighborhood Heart accommodates two massive lecture rooms, which might be used for something from dance and health to coaching and workshop area, together with a full gymnasium, which Simonton stated might be used for basketball, volleyball and pickleball.

“There can be three courts of indoor pickleball, which can be preferrred for this space, as a result of we don’t have outside or indoor pickleball courts,” Simonton stated. “And what now we have heard from the pickleball group is that indoor courts are very a lot in want.”

Simonton additionally stated there can be area for youth camps, and the employees plans to have open gymnasium nights for anybody to return and use the gymnasium. Particulars on hours and days are nonetheless being labored out.

Restore of the gymnasium ground is underway, she stated, noting it will likely be cheaper to refurbish than first thought as it’s nonetheless in comparatively good situation regardless of its age.

Simonton stated the estimated value to refurbish the gymnasium flooring can be $63,572.

When “we initially appeared on the flooring, we anticipated we have been going to spend fairly a bit of cash on these flooring,” Simonton stated. “We thought we might truly should tear them out and put down a brand new flooring.”

Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston stated she was pleased the gymnasium ground got here in underneath finances so a number of the cash may go towards different enhancements on the heart.

“I’m so excited in regards to the Marina Heart opening,” she stated. “I can’t wait till it opens up, simply to offer our youth area within the downtown space … to return and use this facility.”

Councilman Jelani Killings agreed.

“I share the thrill. I feel the entire group is sharing this pleasure proper now,” he stated wanting on the images of the middle’s early days and groups that performed there. “Whilst you present the photographs in your presentation, I keep in mind sporting these shirts, these jerseys; there’s nostalgia there.”

Simonton stated the mission ought to be accomplished in about 45 days and the constructing opened by April 1 “on the newest.”

“We’re hoping it will likely be sooner,” she stated.