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February 12, 2012

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New Henderson senior, aquatic centers open for business

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Leila Navidi / Las Vegas Sun

The Aquatic Complex during the Heritage Park grand opening in Henderson Saturday, January 30, 2010.

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Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 | 3:53 p.m.

Heritage Park Grand Opening

Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen, from left, U.S. Congresswoman Dina Titus and Henderson Councilwoman Gerri Schroder cut the ribbon during the Heritage Park grand opening in Henderson Saturday, January 30, 2010. Launch slideshow »

Heritage Park

Henderson marked the opening of a new senior facility and an aquatic center Saturday at Heritage Park with a ribbon cutting, tours and a roast beef lunch.

The two new buildings are part of what eventually will become a 160-acre park with walking trails, ball fields and the city’s largest dog park.

While those amenities are still a couple of years away, the senior facility and the aquatic center are open now – and will help fill a void in the city, officials said.

Mayor Andy Hafen pointed out that the park is in one of the oldest parts of Henderson, located on Racetrack Road near Boulder Highway, but the area has a lack of parks and other facilities, he said.

The overflow crowd at the ribbon cutting was proof, he said, that people want these facilities.

“In my 22 years-plus on the city council, this is the largest grand opening that I can remember and that tells you that there is a demand for these types of facilities,” he said. “It’s just incredible how the needs of the residents are being met, I believe, with these two facilities.”

Councilwoman Gerri Schroder, who represents the area that includes the new park, said she had heard criticism that the city shouldn’t build new facilities when the economy is bad.

But this is the perfect time to build the park, she said, with people turning to cheaper city-run recreation centers now more than ever.

“People are turning to parks and recreation more and more, particularly in a down economy,” she said. “People are getting by with less, but they are actually doing a lot more. They are gardening, biking, walking, swimming, playing sports and spending time with family and friends, and they are turning to the city and to our parks and recreation department to provide these services, opportunities and places to do these things.”

The buildings that opened Saturday replace older facilities and will increase the city’s ability to serve residents with more energy-efficient buildings, officials said.

“This is the only senior center that Henderson will have once that Texas (Avenue) Senior Center is down,” said Mary Ellen Donner, the parks and recreation director. “In this area we had nothing. We strive to have a park within a mile of every house and this helps fulfill that.”

The senior facility is designed to serve residents who are over age 50 and includes a dance room, classrooms, fitness center and a café.

The 29,667-square-foot building, which had a soft opening in December, also houses a mini-library and a dining room where seniors can get an inexpensive lunch, Donner said. It has served as many as 350 seniors on some days, she said.

The aquatic complex will be open for city classes and recreational swimming, but will also be used by Clark County School District swim teams. The district paid for part of the facility’s construction.

Stephanie Flaherty and Bonnie Rottstin came to the grand opening to check out the new facilities and were impressed, they said, but will probably keep going to their swimming classes at the Whitney Ranch pool since it is closer to where they live.

“But this is beautiful,” Flaherty said.

“The city of Henderson has the best parks and recreation facilities,” said Flaherty, a Los Angeles native. “It’s just amazing what they have here.”

“It’s amazing that our one membership card gets us in everything,” Rottstin added. “We can come swim here or get on a treadmill.”

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