New Northside Aztlan to be ready this fall

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

The old Northside Aztlan Center is still bustling with activity, but everyone's got an eye on what's happening next door: construction of a grand new facility that is scheduled to open this fall.

The new $10 million Aztlan Center, located immediately south of the current facility, will have more than triple the space and double the budget of the old center. The new center will encompass 50,000 square feet on two levels, compared with 15,000 square feet at the existing center. The 2008-'09 budget is expected to approach $1 million, compared with a current budget of $410,000.

The old center, built in 1978, will be demolished when the new Aztlan is finished. However, the spirit and purpose of the place will be unchanged, according to city parks and recreation manager Jean Helburg. Aztlan will continue to be an intergenerational center for the entire community. There will still be fitness and wellness classes for adults, meals and activities for seniors, and youth sports programs such as basketball, wrestling and volleyball. The midday drop-in basketball games for downtown business people will continue.

With three full-sized gyms instead of one and additional classroom and activity space, many of the existing programs will be expanded. People can expect to see more offerings in children's fitness, dance, arts and crafts, along with expanded after-school programs for youth.

The new center will have a large fitness area with exercise equipment, an elevated running track, a game room, lounge, four classrooms and a computer area. The fitness and wellness area will have 3,500 square feet of space but will not have a swimming pool. Three activity rooms, like those at the Fort Collins Senior Center, will be able to function separately or as one large room.

There will be no memberships for the new facility, Helburg said. Users will pay daily drop-in fees or purchase punch cards to get reduced rates.

The new building will have many energy-efficient features, and city staffers plan to apply for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, a rating system for green-built facilities.

YAC classes continue

A nice surprise for people living on the south side of Fort Collins is that the Youth Activity Center, located next to Foothills Mall, will not close down completely.

The program will be smaller, however, prompting some new nicknames like the "YAC Express." Since the recreation department will use only those portions of the building built with city-raised private funds, namely the gym and a classroom, Fort Collins will no longer have to pay rent to the owners of the mall.

"We are definitely trying to keep a south-side presence, even though it's small," said Kristie Blackmon, the YAC's recreation coordinator. The YAC has served as an after-school drop-in teen center for the past several years, and it will continue to function as such on a more limited basis. Hours have not been decided.

Several programs for preschoolers and elementary-age children will also continue at the YAC, including Funtime, Curious 2's, Sporties for Shorties, Kidzone Basketball and High 5 Sports. Other enrichment classes for children will move to the new Aztlan.

Until Aug. 3, the YAC will run "fully loaded," according to Blackmon. People may check out a listing of spring and summer classes at the YAC in the new issue of the Fort Collins Recreator.

There's no solution in sight for transporting south-side youth to Aztlan. "For some kids, it's going to be tough" to get to the center, Helburg acknowledged. However, it's expected that the same youth programs that have always drawn youth to Aztlan, such as basketball and wrestling, will continue to have widespread participation.

Future plans call for recreation facilities in the south part of the city. The city's master plan includes two rec centers there, one at Fossil Creek Community Park in the southeast and the other at Spring Canyon Community Park in the southwest. They will likely have to be funded by a special capital improvements tax.

The new Northside Aztlan Center has been a long time in coming, Helburg noted. It was funded by the Building Community Choices sales tax, passed by voters back in 1997. "This is the last project to be built" from the BCC list, Helburg said.

The project was delayed a few years because of a complicated environmental problem at the site. Coal tar from old gasification tanks in the area had seeped into the groundwater and contaminated the Cache la Poudre River, resulting in a lengthy clean-up process.

The recreation staff is already at work on an ambitious marketing program, including a new logo, to draw more folks to the new Aztlan Center. The city will target young adults, the downtown business community and families who live in the north part of town. Helburg said her department also wants to create better linkage to downtown activities, such as NewWestFest.

"We would like (Aztlan) to become a venue for culture and art," she said.