For decades, New Rochelle’s Parks and Recreation Department has run programs for families and community members across the city. But even longstanding programs like the youth bureau and summer camps have had to use space in city hall or were limited to what they could do in the city’s parks.
The Parks and Recreation Department didn’t have a space of its own. Until now.
On Monday, May 5, the Downtown Rec Center, located on the second floor of New Roc City, officially opened its doors. The open, gym-like, multipurpose space is to house the many programs and events led by Parks and Recreation, like its Little Movers youth dance classes, Little Hoopers basketball team for young children and the Youth Bureau’s Elite Steppers group.
“It offers us a community room right in the heart of downtown,” New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert said. “So, looking at some of the vacant space and thinking about, how can we purpose it so more people can benefit from it?”
What to know about New Rochelle’s new Downtown Rec Center
As the weeks leading to summer, the new Downtown Rec Center will be used for a variety of programming. On weekdays, the mayor hopes that older adults will use it during the day and that children will be there after school gets out.
“Coming in at 9:30, 10 (a.m.), our mature adults are maybe doing chair yoga or learning about nutrition or getting assistance with finances or Social Security or Medicaid, because we are able to do a pop-up hosting one of those agencies here,” Ramos-Herbert said.
“Then come 3:30, 4 (p.m.), it’s the best noise ever: kids running, screaming and laughing,” she continued.
In addition to becoming the home base for many city-led programs, the space will be available to rent to the public for events like community meetings and celebrations.
It’ll also function as a cooling center for elders and children in extreme heat, and a safe haven in the winter from extreme cold.
The city opened the new Rec Center with support from Audi New Rochelle.
City wants to transform New Roc City into a ‘family entertainment ecosystem’
The Rec Center is a part of efforts to revitalize downtown, which have included transforming New Roc City into a “family entertainment ecosystem,” as New Rochelle Development Commissioner Adam Salgado put it.
“An escape room (is) relocating from another part of downtown,” Salgado said. “And they’re really excited, because the whole theme of this mall has been family entertainment.”
As a result, Salgado said, the city provided assistance through its Vanguard New Rochelle Tenant Improvement grant program for the escape room to move into a space at New Roc City that’s double the size of their previous space.
“We are also talking to a variety of retailers who are interested in coming,” Salgado added.
The city is working with the mall’s owner to identify possible tenants.
If you go to the Downtown Rec Center
The new Downtown Rec Center is located at 29 LeCount Place on the second floor of New Roc City. Keep an eye on the city of New Rochelle’s community calendar, newrochelleny.com/1210/Community-Calendar, and the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Instagram, @newroparks, for updates on the Rec Center’s publicly available programs.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New Rochelle’s new Downtown Rec Center finally provides home for range of city programs
Reporting by Samantha Antrum, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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