CITY TO BRING BACK COMMUNITY CENTER
Money for the downtown project will come from the Measure M surplus funds
Residents in downtown Pittsburg soon again will have a space for recreational activities such as basketball, karate, fitness classes and indoor pickleball.
The former Marina Community Center — which for decades has been used as a training center for sheriff's deputies — is being refurbished so it can be used again by residents. The City Council on Monday unanimously approved the project's initial $750,000 budget using surplus Measure M half-cent sales tax funds to bring the former center at 340 Marina Blvd. back to its glory days.
Work first began on building a downtown community center in 1972, and over the next 30 years, the building was used for a variety of purposes, such as senior services, summer and afterschool programs, classes, a preschool, and city and county offices. It was the city's only such center.
“This became that one-stop shop or hub for community information and programs,” said Kolette Simonton, Pittsburg's recreation director.
In 2002, though, the city leased the 13,300-squarefoot property to Contra Costa County to operate the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Academy, which brought a police presence to the area that was experiencing crime issues and undergoing a big redevelopment effort at the time, Simonton said.
The lease came to an end in December. Months earlier, Pittsburg officials notified the county that they would not extend the lease after the council had decided it was time to bring the site back for recreational and educational purposes. Residents for years had asked for a community center.
In budget sessions last May, the council earmarked up to $1.5 million for the refurbishing project, noting that it is being done in phases and that staff members might have to re
turn to request additional funds for all the renovations. Some of the improvements include repairing the gymnasium floor; HVAC repairs; making the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act; and adding new furniture, security and technology, according to the staff report.
As currently configured, the Marina Community Center contains two large classrooms that could be used for things ranging from dance and fitness to training and workshop space, along with a full
gymnasium, which Simonton said could be used for basketball, volleyball and
pickleball.
“There will be three courts of indoor pickleball, which will be ideal for this area, because we don't have outdoor or indoor pickleball courts,” Simonton said. “And what we have heard from the pickleball community is that indoor courts are very much in need.”
Simonton also said there will be space for youth camps and the staff plans to have open gymnasium nights for anyone to use the gym. Details on hours and days still are being worked out.
Repair of the gymnasium floor is underway, she said, noting that refurbishing it will be less expensive to do than first thought, as the floor is still in relatively good condition despite its age. Simonton said the estimated cost to refurbish the gymnasium floors will be $63,572.
When “we initially looked at the floors, we anticipated we were going to spend quite a bit of money on those floors,” Simonton said. “We thought we would actually have to tear them out and put down a new flooring.”
Mayor Shanelle ScalesPreston said she was happy the gymnasium floor repairs came in under budget so that some of the remaining money could go toward other improvements at the center.
“I am so excited about the Marina Center opening,” Scales-Preston said. “I can't wait until it opens up, just to provide our youth space in the downtown area … to come and use this facility.”
Councilmember Jelani Killings agreed.
“I share the excitement. I think the whole community is sharing this excitement right now,” said Killings while looking at the photos of the center's early days and teams who played there. “Even as you show the pictures in your presentation, I remember wearing those shirts, those jerseys; there's nostalgia there.”
Simonton said the building should open by April 1 “at the latest.”
“We're hoping it will be sooner,” she said.