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Home > Archive > Feb 14, 2008

Community Center Preparing for May Opening
By Katrice Schimbeck
Staff Writer
Wendi Bulkley, who formerly ran the Washington City sports program, has been appointed as the new director for the Washington City Community Center, which is planned to open in May.
“This is like a dream come true for us,” Bulkley said of the new community center.
She said they are thrilled to have a place to call their own and to run city sports and senior programs.
Washington City is currently pre-selling passes for the new complex. The first 300 families to buy a pass for up to six people living at the same address will receive $100 off the ticket price of $450 for residents and $540 for non-residents. All other annual passes sold before May receive $50 off the price of the pass.
“We’ve already sold 65 passes. Our pool came yesterday. In fact, we’re ahead of schedule,” Bulkley said.
The grand opening for the center will be May 19. Antione Carr, Dr. Jay, and Karl Malone will be on hand for the festivities. The following week, they will run a summer basketball camp as a benefit for diabetes. A “Dive In” newly released movie will be shown at the pool, and all of the local schools will be invited for an end-of-school swimming party.
The World Senior Games have already booked the community center for their basketball games in October and are looking at the pool for the following year.
In addition, the recreation center will be the site for summer basketball camps.
The indoor aquatics center will be the largest in Utah and feature an Olympic-size pool, indoor/outdoor hydro tube, large splash pad, lazy river, and zero-entry child pool. Just outside the pool area will be sand volleyball courts. Concessions will be available.
The community center has three gyms with overlooking cardio and weight rooms. A four-lane, 200-meter track surrounds the training rooms and overlooks the gyms. Circuit machines will be placed along the track. An aerobics/spinning room will be on the second floor. The center will also house a child-care center and reception/senior activity room. 
Washington City is currently in the hiring process to fill four other full-time positions to staff the center: recreation director, program director, operations manager, and aquatics director. All other staff will be hired in March.
Washington City is currently looking for sponsors for the center’s scoreboards and rock-climbing wall.
“We have $300,000 to buy all the equipment,” Bulkley said. If (the city) can get business to sponsor those things, they can more fully equip the facility to begin with. The 27-foot rock wall alone will cost around $80,000.
For more information on the Washington Community Center and for pass pricing, log onto http://washingtoncity.org/recreation and click on the community center or call Washington City at 656-6300.

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