ECO Center renovations on schedule for Aug. reopening
The Rome-Floyd ECO Center renovations approved in the 2017 Floyd County SPLOST package which began last fall are on schedule and should be open by the end of the summer according to Director Ben Winkelman.
“Construction is going well, and the downstairs classrooms and activity rooms are almost finished,” Winkelman said. “Once the steel went up, construction really started to take off.”
The ECO Center is receiving a new ground-floor entrance with an elevator to the second floor, gift shop, classroom and activity rooms.
“We have to bring everything up to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance,” Winkelman said. “And who knows, maybe we even open a bit early, if some things go our way.”
The ECO Center is located within Ridge Ferry Park on Riverside Parkway and is housed in a former freshwater pumping station that opened for the City of Rome in 1893. It has been closed for renovations since the fall.
“The ECO Center is really a hidden gem,” said Floyd County Commission Chair Allison Watters in the fall. “But it’s more than just a building, it’s the people inside who make a difference.”
Not enough people know the center is free and open to the public, Watters said. The renovations will include more signage which should pull more foot traffic from Ridge Ferry Park.
The center currently houses a variety of fish, reptiles and even alligators in a variety of environments and offers a variety of programs from pre-K through college level. Programs are available for all ages and grade levels for public schools, private schools and homeschool groups.
“It’s such a powerful educational tool,” Watters said. “When a child holds a snake or touches an alligator’s skin, you can just see their eyes light up and know they’ve created a memory that will last forever.”