When Kentwood’s new community center opens for regular public hours on Oct. 5, the first impression may be its size: 67,500 square feet set on 14 wooded acres. But the city describes it as a place for far more than workouts. Inside are three gym courts, an elevated indoor track, a fitness center, child watch, a bistro and a hall for gatherings. The mix gives families, older adults, students and neighbors several ways to share the same public place.
The idea predates the building by years. Mayor Stephen Kepley told WKTV that in 2003, while he was a city engineer, he came across an architectural rendering for a community center at this location. The city did not yet own the land. The project took more concrete shape in 2017, when Kentwood began asking residents through surveys and gatherings what they wanted the community to look like in the decades ahead.
Kepley described the answers as a list of parks and recreation priorities. Some, including a farmers market, moved ahead sooner. A centralized community center was a larger undertaking, so the city developed a broader parks and recreation plan before pursuing the building. The timeline links the center to a longer effort to make shared spaces part of ordinary community life, rather than a one-time event.
That purpose shows up in the way the building can be used. Its gym has three full basketball courts, and WKTV reports that it can be arranged for three volleyball courts or as many as nine pickleball courts. Eight laps around the elevated indoor track make a mile. A multi-sport simulator offers virtual golf and other interactive games through the year, giving the center options for people who want to play, practice or move indoors.
The fitness center includes cardio and strength equipment, free weights and accessible equipment for different ages, abilities and fitness levels, according to WKTV’s walkthrough. The city’s own description also presents the center as designed for all ages and abilities. Child watch is available for children ages 3 to 10 while a parent or guardian uses the facility. That service makes the building easier to use for some households whose schedules include young children.
The center also has quieter ways to bring people together. Alongside the event venue and café, the city lists a Great Hall, multipurpose and studio rooms, and a Little Free Pantry. The Grove is a flexible event room that can host up to 175 people for gatherings such as birthdays, weddings and graduation celebrations. The bistro offers prepared and grab-and-go food, coffee, smoothies and snacks; the city says it is open to members and nonmembers. A visitor could come for a class or a walk, meet someone for coffee, then return for a family event without needing the space to serve only one purpose.
A project of this scale also requires a plan for paying for it and maintaining it. WKTV reported that the nearly $30 million center drew on voter-approved parks and recreation millage funds, general fund dollars, savings, community donations and proceeds from a $9 million municipal bond. WGVU separately reported the project’s approximate cost and its funding mix. That range of sources gives residents a concrete view of how a major public facility was assembled.
The center’s regular public operations are scheduled to begin at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5. The city lists hours of 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, along with monthly and annual memberships and day passes for residents and nonresidents. The address is 4755 Walma Avenue SE, near City Hall and across the street from the Justice Center.
For Kentwood, the opening will turn a long-planned idea into a place people can use in many different ways. A lap on the track, a pickup game, a child’s activity, a class or a celebration may have little in common on the calendar. They all give neighbors somewhere indoors to meet, move and spend time together.
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