After 36 years of supporting neighborhood residents with daycare, a health clinic, a dental clinic, after school activities, and family recreation, the Baxter Community Center is wrapping up a two-and-a-half year renovation with a brand new gymnasium.
“I think it’s going to be kind of an unusual gym,” said Melanie Beelen, Baxter’s executive director. “Our gym design is going to have windows. At street level, you can walk by and look into the gym. One of the thoughts is that the more natural light you bring into the building the more beauty there is.”
Expanded daycare facilities, additional exam rooms for the health clinic, and an all-new dental suite are also part of the renovation of the existing 6,803-square-foot building. New construction added 7,548 square feet.
“Our project is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) project,” Beelen said. “The new gym is LEED driven as well.”
Part of the funding came from a $382,000 challenge grant. The Center had to raise $175,000 in six months to get the money. They did, and that’s when they discovered that, because they embraced green building practices, tthey could apply for a second Kresge grant of $150,000. That grant is an unrestricted award that the Center can use for any need.
“The money will be awarded once the building’s finished and the paperwork is done,” Beelen said. “We’ll make decisions on what we’ll use it for once it’s been given.”
The gym is scheduled to be completed in March 2007. The builder is Dan Vos Construction, with architectural design provided by Schematic.
Source: Melanie Beelen, Baxter Community Center
www.baxtercommunitycenter.org
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