rehab
Recreation breathe
Project will new life and cool air into the Ayden Recreation Center
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“The restrooms have been there since the early 1950s. All the pipes had to be replaced. When workers busted through a cinderblock wall, they found a water leak we otherwise would have never found,” he said.
Built in 1929, the Ayden High School building at 435 Lee St. has been used as a recreation center for years with few upgrades. Many in town felt fortunate to have the facility, even without airconditioning in the gym.
Town Manager Matt Livingston said town officials were pleasantly surprised when bids came in lower than expected, allowing the town to use some of the $600,000 Community Development Block Grant neighborhood revitalization funds for additional work, such as fixing the gymnasium floor and sub flooring.
By Deborah Griffin
pair of grants is funding longneeded renovations at the Ayden Recreation Center including a climate control system that will bring comfort for summertime activities at the old gym.
“A lot of places don’t have a gym. If we didn’t have this, we wouldn’t be able to have basketball, volleyball and summer camps,” Recreation Director Tommy Duncan said. “It’s nice — it allows kids a place to have organized sports and keep them off the streets.” He said it will be even nicer with the upgrades. “The restrooms and the concession stand at the front of the building are being redone,” he said.
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“The gym is truly being totally updated,” Livingston said, adding the town uses it to host its youth sports programs and other activities including use by outside recreation leagues. “It’s not just used for basketball. It is used for cheerleading practice and multitude of other things,” Livingston said. One coach is especially happy about the HVAC system. Urban Turnage, a facilities manger at Community Christian Church in Greenville,
SUMMER/FALL 2021
AYDEN MAGAZINE
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