By Emily Patrick
In anticipation of the upcoming Public Hearing for the YES Project’s request from the Town of Greenville, proponents hoped to offer additional information about the Town of Greenville’s interest in the new building, as the Town of Greenville Recreation Department will be a 1/3 tenant of the new space.
Currently, Greenville Rec offers a wide range of programming: youth sports for ages 4-12, some adult sports, 40 adult fitness memberships and adult Tai Chi and yoga classes. The Town hopes to expand on this programming when the new multipurpose space is built. Some new ideas include expanding youth programs to include gardening, cooking, dance, sewing and martial arts. Dance/Zumba and Volleyball could be added for adults. Proponents hope they can increase adult fitness memberships and possibly start a “Silver Sneakers” senior fitness program.
More than that, this will be a community space, offering the chance for residents to connect over sewing and quilting, cards, games, Bingo, puzzles, arts & crafts and Model Car Building, just to name a few possibilities. Rentable space will also be available for private events, birthday parties and fundraisers.
Town Manager Mike Roy says, “The proposed new multipurpose community building on the Greenville Consolidated School campus, hopes to unite youth, education, and recreation in a single modern facility. This community recreation center is intended to centralize sports, fitness, and a gathering space in one accessible location.
By locating these separate entities in the proposed Y.E.S. Building; it will strengthen Greenville’s social infrastructure, and create a single focal point for activity and community life. The proposed recreation center portion will feature: a multipurpose court and exercise space, an area designated for weights and fitness equipment and space for gatherings and other activities. Also, because the site is adjacent to athletic fields and the track on the school campus, users of the rec center will have direct access to outdoor facilities centrally located in town.
The hope is for stronger connections between school and the community — placing recreation and early education in proximity to K‑12 classrooms may enhance the ease of transitions for children, being on one campus.”
Rec Director Sally Tornquist echoed Roy’s emphasis on the building’s central location and the new opportunities it could afford for residents of all ages, saying, “Recreation is important to all ages. With the New YES building’s central location, gym memberships will at least double, existing programs will increase such as children sports, arts & crafts, games, and other programs. Adult program participation will increase for activities such as Yoga, exercise programs, Tai Chi Chuh, and so on. The new multi-use room will increase opportunities for dance, basketball, card games, pickleball, and much more. This is a great opportunity.”
A Public Hearing will be held on Monday, October 20, at 6 pm in the Greenville Public Safety Building, an opportunity for Greenville voters to ask questions and voice concern- or support! Following the hearing, the Town will vote by referendum on Election Day, November 4, whether or not to appropriate the requested $1 million to the YES Project.