COMMUNITY CENTER RIBBON-CUTTING EVENT SIGNALS NEW ERA IN TRACY AND MARKS END OF LONG JOURNEY
The label “senior center” is not only antiquated and even a bit insulting, it’s far from accurate when referring to Tracy’s new community center. You can call it what you want, but “community center,” is far more appropriate, and however you refer to the town’s newest public gathering space, everyone can agree, it is long overdue.
And it’s now open to the public. Tracy residents on Thursday flocked to the new Tracy Area Community Center on South St. for its much-anticipated grand opening. What they saw was the culmination of a project six years in the making, one that has finally come to fruition after years of planning.
Tracy Mayor Pam Cooreman, oversized scissors in her grasp, cut the blue ceremonial ribbon Thursday afternoon to signal the opening of the center. To many, the large ribbon was more than a piece of fabric, it was a finish line.
“This is a cultural building,” Tracy City Administrator Jeff Carpenter said Thursday. “For five years, this community center has just been an idea, just a dream, to create a space that will serve the city of Tracy. Like other projects, there were challenges along the way, there were obstacles to overcome, fences to climb, moments when the road wasn’t easy.”
‘
… this building is more than bricks and mortar — it’s a symbol of what can happen when people believe in a common goal and are willing to do what it takes to get it done.
— TRACY CITY ADMINISTRATOR JEFF CARPENTER
‘
… we had countless meetings; we spent years fundraising, we had decision challenges — some were right, some were wrong. I’ve had feelings of elation, frustration, anger, anxiety, but also a strong sense of determination.
— JANINE VANDENDRIESSCHE, COMMUNITY CENTER WORKFORCE GROUP Inside, residents — current and former — toured the numerous rooms of the new community center and gathered in its largest room to catch up with each other and bask in the glow of a long-awaited entity.
Carpenter thanked all the donors to the center and encouraged visitors to take a look at the large community center donor sign inside the building that lists all the businesses, organizations and individuals who supported the center financially.
Last Thursday wasn’t the first time residents celebrated the transformation of a downtown building into a public gathering space.
Back in April 1980, the ribbon was cut on what was then called the Multi-Purpose Senior Citizen Center in a building that before then was home to Northwest State Bank.
Like the new center, the aforementioned one was the result of plenty of renovation and redecorating. A kitchen was created behind what was the teller line of the former bank; there was substantial remodeling of the two restrooms to make them handicappedaccessible; and a wall was removed to make way for a large billiards room.
And while there will be no pool table in the new center, that doesn’t detract from what the new center will have to offer.
CCWG member Janine Vandendriessche, who along with Seth Schmidt, was part of a relentless fundraising team, called last week’s grand opening event surreal.
“We’ve spent a lot of years getting this done,” she said. “It’s really, really amazing. Since we started, we had countless meetings; we spent years fundraising, we had decision challenges — some were right, some were wrong. I’ve had feelings of elation, frustration, anger, anxiety, but also a strong sense of determination.”
Barbara Marks of Bollig Engineering thanked the City of Tracy, the Community Center Workforce Group and Ankeny Builders for the successful partnership in creating the new community space.
“This building reflects years of effort, commitment and vision from a community that’s worked hard to make this happen,” she said.
Marks told the crowd that gathered in front of the new center that projects like a community center don’t happen overnight. They take collaboration and people who deeply believe in the future of their community.
“It’s been a privilege (for Bollig) to be a part of something that will have such a meaningful impact for years to come,” Marks continued. “Together, we have worked together to create spaces that are flexible, welcoming and ready to serve many purposes at once — spaces that continue to evolve as the community does.”
City council member Jan Arvizu, one of many residents who make up the Community Center Workforce Group, said last Thursday was a joyful day.
“Our center has been in development for at least five years; it was born in the minds of a persistent, dedicated, committed and passionate group of volunteers who stepped up when we lost our former Multi-Purpose Center,” she said. “Without their leadership, we would not be here today.”
The real work Arvizu said, will be bringing the walls of the community center to life, filling it with people who can create new memories of fun, fellowship and learning.
The new center features state-of-the-art technology that is meant to encourage learning and collaboration across generations, as well as acoustical isolation in meeting areas.
Carpenter noted that the City has already begun taking reservations for gatherings, proof of an appetite the public has for a place to hold events.
“As we stand here today, let’s remember that this building is more than bricks and mortar — it’s a symbol of what can happen when people believe in a common goal and are willing to do what it takes to get it done,” Carpenter concluded. “The community center belongs to all of us — not just Tracy, but around the area.”
At Monday’s city council meeting, Carpenter also publicly thanked librarian and grant writer Val Quist for her work in helping make the community center a reality.
“That building wouldn’t be half as nice without what Val did,” Carpenter said. “Without her guidance with the number of grants that she wrote, I don’t believe we have the community center.”
