The Bend Park & Recreation District has started construction on its $23.4 million expansion to the Bend Senior Center, soon to be called the Larkspur Community Center.
The center will be open during construction until Memorial Day, when a 14-week closure will allow crews to complete some of the more invasive phases of construction.
The park district is partnering with Bend-La Pine Schools to house classes and other programs at Marshall High School’s gym and cafeteria during the school’s summer break, which spans much of the closure.
The center will close May 28 and hold classes at The Pavilion on Simpson Avenue and at the park district’s headquarters on Columbia Street during gaps before the school year ends and after it begins in the fall. Classes will switch over to Marshall High on June 17, where classes will take place until teachers and other staff return. The center is slated to reopen Sept. 3.
The 36,000-square-foot expansion will include an indoor pool with a lazy river running around the edge, along with a rubber-surface jogging track and a number of classes for all-ages activities.
The senior center was built in 2001 as a facility where older adults could congregate and attend a variety of events and classes, from Zumba dance classes to ukulele lessons. The center currently houses between 80 to 90 fitness classes a week and hosts about 80,000 visitors a year.
With Juniper Swim & Fitness Center experiencing overcrowding, the park district opted to add all-ages facilities to the senior center.
By: The Bulletin; Bulletin Staff Report on April 23, 2019