The grand opening for the Health and Wellness Center is planned for March 24 but the center is already making a "positive impression" in the three weeks it's been open for public use.
That was the message delivered at Tuesday afternoon's Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Commission meeting about the joint venture between Parks and Lincoln University.
Aaron Grefrath, the assistant director of Parks and the resident manager at the Wellness Center, told commissioners they have sold 75 adult day passes and 148 day youth passes since the center opened.
For Lincoln students, the cost to use the center is built into their tuition. Jefferson City residents can pay for a single visit or can buy a membership. Various membership packages are available. For adults, a membership costs $25 a month or $300 a year.
Grefrath said the center has seen large crowds for basketball and volleyball games and already they are looking at events to be held there in the next several months, such as the Lincoln Basketball Camp and Boys & Girls Club summer camps.
When opening a multi-million dollar structure like this, there are a variety of issues that could arise, and Grefrath said they had numerous cellphone thefts and other security-related problems occur. However, he commended and thanked the response given by Lincoln University police to step up patrol of the area and do walk-throughs of the facility. He also said security cameras will eventually be installed.
Grefrath said groups of what might be considered alternative sports such as judo and wrestling were inquiring about using the facility for tournaments. Commissioners encouraged Grefrath to continue working to get these sports accommodated as it was a goal to have the building offer something for everyone in the community.
Commission Chairman Brad Bates also asked Grefrath to continue collecting numbers of those coming in to use the center, which could eventually be calculated to how much of an economic impact the center is having.
The grand opening will start at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 24, with formal ceremonies, and there will be activities taking place through 7 p.m., including tours and youth clinics.
"Three to five years ago, people would have said this wasn't possible, and now look at where we're sitting at today," Bates said.
In other commission business, Parks Director Todd Spalding said a meeting was planned for April 20 that looks to restart what had been known as the Environmental Quality Commission. Spalding said this will be a chance to look at what the commission had done in the past and whether those areas it addressed needed to continue or should it look at other aspects.
Changes discussed last July would transform the commission to focus more on overall community wellness, an initiative pushed by Mayor Carrie Tergin, who said the commission had largely fulfilled its previously outlined objectives.
Editor's Note: March 24 is the correct date for the grand opening. The version of this article that appeared in Wednesday's print publication contained the incorrect day.