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WOOD RIVER - As the new Wood River recreation center nears completion, Parks and Recreation Director Jason Woody explained what the building will offer Wood River residents.
“We’re obviously excited, and can’t wait to get some things out there for the kids of this community,” Woody said.
Inside the rec center, an elevated walking track will circle the gymnasium. Two gym floors will be outfitted with lines for a total of six pickleball courts, two volleyball courts and two basketball courts. The Parks and Recreation Department also plans to move into the building, and multipurpose rooms will be available for rent.
Woody predicts that construction will be completed October or November, with plans to open the center closer to the end of the year. Talks about this project began in 2017. Wood River’s sales tax and a $2.5 million grant have provided the funding needed for the building.
The Parks and Recreation department recently partnered with Sportsman Solutions, a business management consulting firm that will help them create sponsorship opportunities for local businesses. Woody explained that the department is still finalizing pricing and programs for the center. Sponsorships will inform those decisions.
“We’d love to partner with some people to help us offset some of the costs so we can provide more programs for our citizens and people in the surrounding communities,” Woody said.
In the meantime, the City of Wood River is excited to see the building take shape. If you want to know more about sponsorship opportunities or updates on the rec center’s progress, you can visit the Wood River Parks and Recreation website or Facebook page.
“I’ve been here for 15 years, and the biggest complaint that I’ve always heard is that Wood River didn’t have its own gym. So we’ve been trying to figure out how to make that happen for a long time now,” Woody explained. “This community needs something for the kids to do, a place to get away, a place to be proud of, a place to call home. I think we can do pretty much all of that with this building.”
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