New recreation center set to open in northwest Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -A new recreation center will soon open its doors in northwest Lincoln. It will house the new facilities and also take in the Williams Branch Library to make a sort of one-stop shop for people in Air Park.

The new recreation center is set to replace the old one that’s more than 65 years old.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Jamie Kelley, Lincoln Parks and Recreation. “We needed some needed to look at some new space for our rec center and our recreation programs that we have here for the air Park neighborhood.”

Kelley said the building meets the needs of the growing neighborhood.

“Northwest just opened up this last school year and there’s new housing being developed out here as well,” Kelley said. “So it’s prime opportunity for us to have a new space for our community to gather to recreate to come and participate in fitness program.”

The new space will host before and after-school programs and day camps. It also houses a gym with weights and exercise machines, a game room, three wellness rooms and an outdoor space, in addition to the library, which will continue its own programming.

“This will be the first of this sort of collaboration of the two facilities together,” Kelly said. “It’s excited, it’s exciting to think about the different collaboration that we can do the different partnering, the access that we’ll have to the library, so within our programming, bringing program participants to the library, and then individuals that are coming to the library, being able to come and visit the rec centers.”

The project started in 2021 and is slated to open in June 2023.

Lincoln Parks and Recreation is hiring for the Air Park Recreation Center. There is a fair Thursday, 3/30, from 2-6 p.m. at 2100 “M” Street

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