Daniel Island Community Recreation Center nearing completion

Opening likely delayed until July, pending City Council budget approval
It’s not quite finished, but already the new Daniel Island Community Recreation Center is generating plenty of fanfare. 
 
Last week, Daniel Island Neighborhood Association members Frank Walsh and Marcia Miller, who have worked alongside City of Charleston officials on planning for the project, got an inside look at the progress being made.
 
“Oh, my!” exclaimed Miller, after stepping inside the lofty new 3,400-square-foot multipurpose room, which can be divided into separate spaces for various recreation activities or other gatherings. “This is something! This will be a much used space.”
 
As construction workers busily moved about the facility’s interior spaces, Miller and Walsh took in the sights. Moving down halls painted a deep blue, reflective of the ocean of possibilities that will soon exist in the long-anticipated space, they entered the two story gymnasium on the other side of the facility.
 
“This will be a star in the family of community centers in the city of Charleston,” added Miller. “... I really believe it will be a premiere facility. It’s new and it’s phenomenal. It’s going to be in demand.”
 
According to Walsh, the center, which will be run by the city’s recreation department, has been in the planning stages for over a decade. When asked how he felt about seeing the results of years of collaborative efforts, Walsh summed up his thoughts with one word.
 
“Finally!” he said. 
 
The site will primarily serve the Daniel Island and Cainhoy peninsula communities, but is open to all city residents. In addition to a full-size basketball court that meets high school regulation standards, the facility has multiple other rooms and spaces for additional activities such as weightlifting, fitness classes, craft activities, and meetings. 
 
“At least we have an anchor for the community, a gathering place,” added Walsh. “…It will encourage different groups when they meet in here to socialize when they get together, to form friendships and other groups. We hope it will be a social catalyst.”
 
Cost estimates on the building were originally a little over $5 million, but the end product is in the $10 million range. 
 
“It’s not bare bones,” added Walsh, who credited former City Councilman Gary White of Daniel Island for putting in the lion’s share of the work to get the project moving,
and newly elected Councilmember Marie Delcioppo for continuing those efforts. “We got a first-class facility.”
 
The building was scheduled to open early next year, with an anticipated completion of construction in January, but recent revisions to the city’s 2021 budget due to revenue shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may delay the opening until July. 
 
A first reading of the proposed budget, which included some cuts and a scaled back tax increase, was approved by City Council last week. A second and potentially final reading is slated for Dec. 15. 
 
“We needed to reconfigure some things with the budget in order to save our taxpayers from facing some pretty hefty tax increases,” said Delcioppo, who represents Daniel Island and much of the Cainhoy peninsula, as well as a portion of downtown Charleston. 
 
“It’s not too much longer that folks will have to wait,” she continued, referencing the Daniel Island center’s opening. “I know it’s tough – folks see this beautiful building going up and want to get inside. ... My focus has always been and continues to be to avoid a tax increase on the citizens of Charleston, so really taking a hard look at our budget and going through line by line and asking what are some things here and there that we can delay a little bit in order to save us a lot of money in the long run.”
 
City of Charleston Recreation Department Director Laurie Yarbrough is among those anxious to learn the outcome of the upcoming budget vote. But in the meantime, she is excited to see that the new facility on Daniel Island is attracting so much interest.
 
“It’s just a beautiful building,” noted Yarbrough. “... There is a lot of excitement. They’re just starting to get this real energetic vibe. ... The last time I went over there it looked great. It’s going to be a programming mecca ... And then it will be incumbent on us to program the heck out of it as fluidly as we can, with as many hours as they will budget me to be open, and just use up every inch of the building.”
 
After touring the facility last week, Walsh learned of the potential delay in the grand opening and expressed his disappointment, calling the situation a “dream deferred.” 
 
Recognizing some may be frustrated to have to wait a little longer, Yarbrough encouraged all to be patient.
 
“It’s difficult to have a Christmas tree out and not open the presents until July 1,” she said. “That’s what it’s gonna feel like, but this has been a very unusual year. We are trying desperately to be responsive to everyone’s needs so the City Council has to decide ultimately how they want to do this.”
 
WANT TO OFFER FEEDBACK?
 
• For those with programming ideas for the new facility, email YARBROUGHL@charleston-sc.gov.
 
• Charleston City Council is expected to vote on the city’s proposed 2021 budget at their Dec. 15 meeting. Once the agenda has been posted online, 
you can request to speak during the citizen comment period, or leave a comment at http://innovate.charleston-sc.gov/comments/ or call 843-579-6313.

 

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

Breaking News Alerts

To sign up for breaking news email alerts, Click on the email address below and put "email alerts" in the subject line: sdetar@thedanielislandnews.com

Comment Here