Story and Video: St. Clairsville breaks ground on new recreation center
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The grassy earth behind the amphitheater in St. Clairsville is more than just ground, city officials said Monday morning. It represents an investment in the community that, in time, will feature a brand new recreation center, one that they say is much needed.
Officials broke ground Monday on the Unified Bank Recreation Center, a nearly $3 million project that will include four basketball courts, four volleyball courts, eight pickleball courts, outdoor restrooms and indoor restrooms. It also will have space for an ADA-compliant public meeting room where the St. Clairsville City Council can hold its meetings.
“I can’t wait to see this come to fruition,” St. Clairsville Mayor Kathryn Thalman said. “It’s been two years in the making and here we are. We’re ready to get started.”
Eric Gay, St. Clairsville’s parks and recreation director, said that, when he took the job five years ago, there were discussions about a potential new recreation center. Those discussions turned into plans two years ago and are now a real project.
What this will do, Gay said, is help St. Clairsville families find places for their kids to play and exercise much closer to home.
“There’s so much demand for gym space and for community events,” Gay said. “Right now, we’re working just out of our one building and this is going to be absolutely huge for our community.
“We can offer more things,” he added. “We can get more kids involved where parents don’t have to drive all over the world to look for these things. We’ll have a center right in town that will be easily accessible for our community, for the students at St. Clairsville. We cannot be happier finally moving forward with this project.”
Gay said state and federal grants will help with the cost of the new facility, and the city already has raised about 90% of the funds needed to build it through local donors.
“We’re not putting all of that on local taxpayers,” he said. “It just shows the commitment we have in moving forward in offering our residents easier access to places like this.”