To celebrate the start of spring and daylight saving time, the Concord Parks and Recreation Department has decided to roll the clocks back a few years.
By that we mean the department has moved its headquarters to the building at White Park it used to be based out of about four years ago. The move was necessary because the building where it most recently operated out of, the Heights Community Center, is about to get a major makeover.
Last April, the city council appropriated $7.1 million for the design and construction of a new citywide multi-generational community center up on the Heights. This building will be quite a bit more advanced than the current facility.
The new, 33,000-square-foot facility will feature three multipurpose programming rooms, one of which will be used for part-time public library services (an extension of Concord Public Library); two rooms for exercise and aerobics; dedicated space for senior citizen programming; a large multipurpose room featuring a stage and catering kitchen for functions and performances; an 8,000-square-foot, high school-size gymnasium with locker rooms; and, of course, offices for the Parks and Recreation Department. About 18,750 square feet of the existing building will be incorporated into the project, and the rest will be new construction.
In the meantime, a lot of things needed to find new homes. Luckily, since this plan was a long time in the making, the parks and rec folks figured all that out.
Archery, for one, used to be held at the Heights Community Center but will now be at the East Concord Community Center. Pickleball, a favorite for many seniors, has moved to the Green Street Community Center. Many other senior programs have been moved to the West Street Ward House, where senior programming used to be held, said John Andersch with parks and rec.
Other than that, it’s business as usual with parks and rec. The new address is 1 White St. (it’s the brown building by the basketball courts), and the hours are 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. For more info, call 225-8690.
