Fourteen months after ground was officially broken on construction of what was then called the Joint-Use Gymnasium Project, a grand opening ceremony was held Tuesday afternoon for what is now called the Dana Gym on the northeast corner of the property at Dana Middle School, 1401 S. First Ave. Officials from the City of Arcadia, Arcadia Unified School District, police and fire departments, Chamber of Commerce, students, and many others filled the bleachers to capacity in the 8,700 square-foot building that represents the first and only gymnasium operated by the school or the city other than those at the high school. <Story continues following the 2 1/2-min. video highlights of the grand opening below.>
Get the Flash Player to see this content.
With the City and school district contributing an equal share, Dana Middle School and the school district will get priority use of the facility during school hours (weekdays from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.), while the City’s Recreation and Community Services under director Sara Somogyi will oversee scheduling of activities on weeknights (5 p.m. – 10 p.m.), weekends, and summertime. Sign-ups began last month for an adult men’s winter basketball league set to start Jan. 23. The City is also offering winter classes for adults 50 years of age and older in yoga, strength training, line dancing, tai chi, zumba gold and aerobics. Registration is open now for classes at the new gym and the Community Center, 365 Campus Drive, by calling Arcadia Senior Services at 574.5130 or signing in at the City of Arcadia web site.
The gymnasium features telescopic bleachers, a full-size basketball court, two cross courts, a home/visitor electronic scoreboard, office space, restrooms and an outdoor asphalt basketball court on the west side of the building.
While it was Mayor John Wuo and School Board president Cung T. Nguyen who were the point people at the time of the groundbreaking, it was current school board president Lori Phillipi and Mayor Peter Amundson who officiated on Tuesday. Both praised the cooperation of the two entities, with Mayor Amundson noting that the building was not only only opening on schedule but came in significantly under the initial $3 million budget. The initial plan was for the City and School District to each contribute 25% to create a combined matching of 50% from the state, which agreed to approve a grant of up to $1.5 million for the gym. But construction bids came in under budget at about $2.8 mil., potentially allowing a lower contribution of about $650,000 each from the City and Arcadia Unified School District, the latter acting as the primary agency for the project.
— By Scott Hettrick