By Anita Weier
Northside News
A long-expected expansion of the popular Warner Park Community Recreation Center is approaching reality. The 32,000-square-foot facility, built in 1999, would be enlarged by 12,000 square feet, most of it consisting of a second larger gym, which will feature sport flooring to allow more uses. The present gym’s floor has been damaged by some uses.
Information provided by Engberg Anderson Architects supported adding a second gym space and renovating locker rooms. The second gymnasium space will be configured and finished to host the wide range of classes, events and sports identified of interest by stakeholders and building users. The current locker room configuration will be replaced with small locker alcoves near the gymnasiums. There will be individual shower/change rooms.
The current gymnasium is very heavily programmed, having been reserved for 81% of its available hours in the facility use data provided by WPCRC planning staff. The existing gymnasium is used for fitness classes, open gym time, building-wide events, and practices/tournaments organized by community basketball and volleyball leagues.
WPCRC staff is currently turning away three to four gym rentals per day due to a shortage of available space and time slots. A second gymnasium is required for larger basketball and volleyball tournaments to be held on weekends.
Placing the second gymnasium down a corridor adjacent to the existing gymnasium will maintain existing building circulation around the front desk. The preferred architectural design scheme builds the second gymnasium off the southeast side of the existing building and extends a corridor from the front desk to the expansion.
The existing fitness center and gym storage space will be reconfigured to create the corridor and connect to the expansion. Landscaping will also be improved. Construction on the $5 million project could start as soon as September.
Some users of the WPCRC were disappointed that more wasn’t done to serve other activities. For instance, its meeting rooms are much in demand.
A thorough online presentation of plans in March was followed by an in-person gathering in April. Jim Krueger, director of NewBridge Madison — which serves older adults at WPCRC with activities and food service — attended. He said he was a little disappointed but not upset by the plan because he realizes there are cost constraints, which increased during the pandemic. “We hoped there would be a little more space,” but management has promised flexibility in managing existing spaces, Krueger said.