City Celebrates Groundbreaking for Voter-Approved Active Adult Center in West Arlington

By Susan Schrock, Office of Communication

Posted on January 09, 2023, January 09, 2023

City and community leaders gathered Monday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the voter-approved Active Adult Center in west Arlington.

The facility, which will offer a variety of programs and amenities for adults ages 50 and older, is set to open in winter 2024. The center will be located off Green Oaks Boulevard, just east of the Fire Training Center and on the site of the Pierce Burch Water Treatment Plant. Arlington voters approved funding to build the center in a special bond election in May 2017.

 Speaking at Monday’s ceremony, Mayor Pro-Tem Helen Moise said the Active Adult Center will provide a wide range of recreational options to help residents stay active, healthy and engaged.

 “I feel the sense of pride and excitement at the thought of what this new recreation center means for our active adult population. Arlington seniors came to us for a long time and said, ‘We need a place we can come together, where we can socialize, where we can engage in activities that promote physical and mental wellness, comradery and education,’” said Moise, City Council District 1 representative. “With the construction of this new center, we are able to provide them with all that.”

 Amenities of the recreation center are expected to include a full-court gymnasium that can host sports such as basketball, volleyball and pickleball, an indoor pool for water exercise and leisure, a fitness area, walking track, multi-purpose rooms for educational programs, events or passive activities, special events space, an outdoor patio, outdoor pickleball courts and a community garden. All amenities and program offerings will be determined by final project budget.

 “This is the facility that our active adult population needs and deserves and we are excited to bring it to them,” Parks and Recreation Director James Orloski said.

 Beginning with the opening of Meadowbrook Park nearly 100 years ago, Arlington has consistently promoted a high quality of life and championed great parks and recreational opportunities, Parks Board Chair Ron Smith said during Monday’s event. The City’s newest recreational facility will offer residents a wide range of opportunities to strengthen both their physical and mental wellbeing, he said.

 “The Active Adult Center will serve as a community wellness hub, providing comprehensive programs, services and spaces that dismantle systemic barriers to health and wellness,” Smith said.

 The City of Arlington offers multigenerational programming at its five recreation centers: Dottie Lynn, Cliff Nelson, The Beacon, Elzie Odom Athletic Center and the East Library and Recreation Center. The Eunice Activity Center, set to reopen later this year after renovations, offers programming designed for the senior population. Click here to learn more about the City’s recreation centers.

 The Active Adult Center's location on the Green Oaks Boulevard loop makes it convenient to access from points across Arlington, Orloski said.

 “With it being located on Green Oaks, it truly does tie into the rest of the city. If you live on the northside or the eastside or the southside of town, you will have convenient access and be able to get to the Active Adult Center and everything it has to offer,” he said.

 Information about membership prices will be available closer to the opening of the Active Adult Center, but Orloski said residents should expect fees to be in line with the City’s other recreation facilities.