Euclid is on track for the opening of the city’s new Recreation and Wellness Center in June. The project is still set to be completed in May. The 38,000-square-foot one-story facility at 22550 Milton Ave. will have three multi-purpose courts, indoor walking tracks and a suspended batting cage that can be lowered for use. Euclid Recreation Director Mac Stephens gives a tour of their future Recreation and Wellness Center. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald) In addition, Euclid Recreation Director Mac Stephens said that they are building rooms that can be used for different educational opportunities like new senior and youth programs. He added that there is a possibility of having other groups, such as hospital systems, come in and use the space to hold educational events for the public. “So far I’m very pleased with the progress,” Stephens said during a recent tour. “I try to come in at least once or twice every week to get an eye on what’s going on. Sunday they are bringing in the wooden flooring in and it’s just exciting to see it all unfold. “I think, obviously, this will impact young people,” Stephens continued. “And I’m pretty certain that we will do that because the goal is to, in addition to having the typical programming that you might have in a recreation center, to have academic enrichment programs, mentoring programs, and I’m already putting those programs together.” Euclid officials walk through the future public entrance of their Recreation and Wellness center. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald) Euclid's future Recreation and Wellness Center will have different rooms for people to use exercise machines or have community meetings. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald) The public will get a chance to see what it looks like before it fully opens, Stephens said, as they will be starting tours in May. “I know that not everyone is interested in playing pickleball, volleyball, basketball or working out,” Stephens said. “But, if we can maybe do some artsy type things or music type things we might be able to get more people.” City officials tour the Recreation and Wellness center Center in Euclid. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald) He said that a membership fee for the facility has not been established yet, but he has put together recommendations on pricing based on other centers around the area. He will be giving those suggestions to the Recreation Commission in April where they will vote on it. He said that City Council could choose to have the rates lowered by using general funds to help pay for programming but that much of their budget currently comes from fees. “We have a lot of volunteers, so we don’t have to hire additional staff which drives the cost up for a lot of programs,” Stephens said. He said the slightly smaller size of the center, compared to other facilities, means they can more easily manage it. “The one thing I don’t want this to do is make this a political football or anything like that. It’s just to serve residents, period,” Stephens said. “I think the important thing is this building was built based on a lot of the programming that we already have in place. Most recreation centers and most municipalities are too big. This space is probably a third of what most places have. “But, for a city of 50,000 people, this is what we need. It wouldn’t make sense to make a (bigger) building because then you are dealing with utilities, cleaning chemicals, staff and maintenance. So, I like what we have, and I think as we grow it will do the city well.” Ropes hang from of the future Recreation and Wellness Center in Euclid. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald)   ...read more read less