Army Reserve Center to be city’s first recreational center

Josh Estrella
Posted 6/9/15

After 11 years of lying vacant, the Lloyd S. Cooper III Army Reserve Center on Sandy Lane will finally be in use once again, this time with a new purpose. Led by Mayor Scott Avedisian, the city spent …

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Army Reserve Center to be city’s first recreational center

Posted

After 11 years of lying vacant, the Lloyd S. Cooper III Army Reserve Center on Sandy Lane will finally be in use once again, this time with a new purpose. Led by Mayor Scott Avedisian, the city spent over a decade working on a plan to re-use and transform the center, which was originally built in 1958. With the help of Senator Jack Reed, Mayor Avedisian plans to utilize the space for youth recreation, creating the first multi-purpose recreation center in the city.

The senator and the mayor met Monday to tour the building, which the city will soon officially take possession of from the U.S. Army. Although valued at around $1 million, the city will only be paying $1 for the property.

“Anytime there is federal property we can buy for a dollar, count me in.” Avedisian commented.

According to Avedisian, the idea of the re-utilization of the center is to move all of the youth programming and all of the recreational programming to the site. The facility would have a gymnasium, a studio for activities like yoga, acrobatics, dance and martial arts, an auditorium for theatre, space for culinary programs, a space dedicated for teens and more. The city would partner with the Warwick Boys & Girls Club this summer to develop a pilot youth program. The mayor said he wants to work closely with the club and its executive director, Lara D’Antuono.

The 26,000-square-foot facility is empty, containing two levels and a large amount of vacant rooms on each floor.

Rick Crenca, the principal planner for the project, commented about the large size of the building: “It’s better to have more space than not enough.”

Avedisian plans to utilize all of the space, focusing on the youth and evaluating space for possible non-profit organizations to partner with the center. Under federal guidelines, the building can only be used for youth recreational or homeless purposes. The House of Hope and the Rhode Island National Guard also looked at the building, but federal officials preferred the city’s proposal.

One of the most important factors of this transfer is the location of the building. It stands adjacent to the Mickey Stevens Sports Complex, close by to the Warwick Public Library and across the street from Warwick Veterans High School, meaning they will be in close proximity to swimming pools, hockey rinks and the high school football field.

“It’s going to be great for the city. It’s going to give our kids yet another opportunity to be able to fully participate in everything that goes on here,” Avedisian said.

The center will not be opening yet, though Mayor Avedisian is planning to begin a youth program with the Boys & Girls Club beginning this summer.

Senator Reed said, “One of the nice things about this is that it’s a win-win. This property was excess because of security concerns…so we built a whole new reserve facility in Newport on the Navy base. So we have a great new facility for the reserve forces and now the city has a great new facility for its youth programs. All of this has been a cooperation between the city, the mayor’s leadership, my office and my colleagues.”

The center will keep its name, honoring Lloyd S. Cooper III, who was killed in action as an infantryman in World War II in Europe.

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  • RIposter

    How great for the community!

    Tuesday, June 9, 2015 Report this

  • jackiemama63

    Cool!

    Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Report this