McKinney’s Senior Recreation Center has a new look.
The center has undergone a $5.4 million renovation, adding approximately 2,000 square feet of space to the 50-and-over fitness and aquatic venue.
“We closed a year ago in March, like most places,” Michael Kowski, director of parks & recreation for the city of McKinney, said. “So we took advantage of the closure to go ahead and make the upgrades.”
The city’s only senior center, which opened in 2002, was due for renovations, Kowski said.
Among the changes:
- The entire building was gutted, Kowski said, and the floorplan was reconfigured.
- Common areas were upgraded, including restrooms and shower facilities.
- The fitness room is now roughly five times larger than before.
- More billiards tables were added, bringing the number up to three.
The majority of the money — $4 million — for the project came from the McKinney Community Development Corp., which funds community and economic development projects. The remaining $1.4 million came from Parkland Dedication fees, according to Kowski, “which are collected from developers who construct residential development in this area of the community.”
The project brought the total building size to approximately 25,000 square feet.
Since the center’s reopening earlier this month, more than 1,300 memberships have been sold, Kowski said, adding that its closure was difficult for the city’s senior residents.
“Opening up again allows the senior population to have interaction with our team,” he said. “We are all one big family.”
