Rainier Beach Community Center closed: Now what?

Last updated December 23, 2010 9:23 p.m. PT

By MICHAEL E. ROSS
SPECIAL TO SEATTLEPI.COM

With the Rainier Beach Community Center shuttered as of Saturday and slated for demolition soon, the city's Parks and Recreation Department has fashioned a coalition of public and private options to fill the two-year gap before the old center's replacement is ready in fall 2013.

The city has approved planning, design and construction of a $25 million replacement of the existing center, at 8825 Rainier Ave. It's to be paid for with real estate excise taxes and, in part, city general obligation bonds.

Aaron Pickus, a spokesman for Mayor Mike McGinn, said the construction of the new center had been an informal commitment to Rainier Beach in the Greg Nickels administration. "This was a promise made by the former mayor, but there weren't any dollars attached to it," Pickus said. "The city has a $67 million deficit, but we felt it was important that the city follow through on this."

Over the next two years, the Rainier Beach community will find the programs once at the old center shifted to a variety of different city community centers, Seattle Public School and business locations.

According to the Parks and Recreation department:

• The Rainier Beach Late Night recreation program will move to Rainier Beach High School, 8815 Seward Park Ave. S. Youth track program participants will also practice at Rainier Beach High.
• Late Night in summer moves to the Pritchard Beach Bathhouse, 8400 55th Ave. S., near Beer Sheva Park.
• The Christmas Ship visit will take place at Pritchard Beach, where the Jefferson Community Center staff will offer support.
• Before and after school care will be at Hutchinson Community Center, 5801 S. Pilgrim St. (pending the center's receipt of a Certificate of Occupancy, which insures compliance with the city building code).
• Youth basketball will move to Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave. S., and Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 S. Myrtle St. The fee-based adult aerobics program also moves to Van Asselt.
• Youth and teen fee-based Karate/Hip Hop will be at Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave S. The fee-based Adult Hip Hop program also moves to Rainier Community.
• Rainier Beach's aquatics programs will move to Medgar Evers Pool, 500 23rd Ave, and Southwest Pool, 2801 SW Thistle St.
• The Lifelong Recreation walking group will connect with another Rainier Valley walking group.
• Youth Orchestra will be relocated to Northwest Tap Connection, the dance studio at 8732 Rainier Ave S.
• Computer room facilities will tentatively be moved to the Ethiopian Church at 8445 Rainier Ave. S.

  To go by statements from McGinn and acting Parks and Recreation Superintendent Christopher Williams at a crowded Rainier Beach community forum on Sept. 30, replacing the center with space available at other locations was always a priority.

  Williams said at the forum that Van Asselt and Rainier community centers would be sought as locations for the Rainier Beach late-night program. Responding to a question from the audience, McGinn agreed that enlisting Rainier Beach School gym and other sites would be a good idea. "It makes a lot of sense," he said. "We have these assets ? I agree with you completely. Those are our buildings; we need to use them for the community."

  Parks and Recreation understands the inconvenience of going to several places for what used to be available at Rainier Beach, a cross-cultural fixture of that south Seattle neighborhood. Dewey Potter, a Parks and Rec spokeswoman, offered apologies and an assurance about the center-to-be. "We're sorry for the inconvenience it will cause people," she said, "but in the end it's going to be fabulous."

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