Dandridge activities center to open September 16, 2012
Dandridge’s new $2 million activities center will host a grand opening ceremony on Sunday, September 16.
The event, during which the 31,000 square foot facility will be open free of charge to the public, will feature a concert by the Lost Creek Band. It begins at 1:30 p.m. wraps up at 4:30 p.m.
The center at 1145 Treadway Drive in the Field of Dreams Park, opens the next day with regular hours (8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday).
The center has two full-court, regulation gyms; a fitness/activity/meeting room; an indoor walking track; four treadmills; four elliptical machines, two recumbent and two upright bikes; a six station weight jungle; and men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers.
It completes a full-range of athletic facilities at the park, which already has a football field, six baseball fields, an outdoor walking track, picnic pavilion and playground.
In the works are yoga, Zumba, aerobics, line dancing, and other fitness classes. The facility’s meeting room can be rented for gatherings and parties, and bleacher seating for 300 makes the main area perfect for larger events. The bleachers can be rolled back to make room for boat, garden, and fishing shows with easy access thanks to a large overhead door. The building is also be a wireless hotspot.
Meeting in special session Tuesday evening, members of Dandridge Council approved two change orders to help close out construction of the building. One gives permission for about $11,000 worth of fire marshal required emergency lighting and other features. The other is a $2,800 credit for a construction change to the stairs. Painting and signage proposed for the first change order will be done in-house to save funds.
Mayor George Gantte and council member Todd Kesterson voted against the $11,000 addition. Gantte and other members of council said issues with the contractor, including a delay in completion, have been troublesome. The building was to be complete May 23, project engineer Brian Ewers told council, adding that the temporary certificate of occupancy was received August 1. The general contractor is C. Laney & Sons.
The town received a $149,000 state recreation grant to help make the new center possible. The city reports $44,150 in private donations and pledges, as well as a $10,000 Jefferson Memorial Foundation grant. Financing is through a 20-year general obligation bond sold through Morgan-Keegan at an interest rate of 3.25 percent.
At the grand opening, tours of the building will be available, and entertainment will be provided by Lost Creek Band, the area’s premier bluegrass band. Their album, “Perpetual Grass,” received the Bluegrass Award of the Year in 2012 given by the North American Country Music Association.
Daily rates at the center will be $4 for city residents 18 and up ($6 for outside-city residents), $2 for youths 12 to 17, and $2 for seniors 60 and over who live inside the city ($3 for seniors who live outside town). Children 11 and under are free with parent’s fee (supervision required).
Annual passes are available. For city residents, they will cost $125 for individuals and $250 for families. For those who live outside town, annual passes will be $250 for individuals and $325 for families.
The activity room will rent for $20 per hour and the pavilion for $25 per time slot (slots available are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) Half a gym will rent for $20 per hour, a full gym for $40 per hour, and both gyms for $80 per hour. Stage rental is a $25 flat fee. Long term and special event rentals will also be available.
For more information, please contact Kevin Craig, Director, at 865-397-9200 or by e-mail at FODAC@att.net.
Standard Banner. August 30, 2012; PAGE 2A.