This Monday marks the official opening of the Northern Blair Recreation Center in Antis Township.
To celebrate the center’s first day of operation, there will be an open house during regular hours, from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Individuals will be able to register for door prizes and participate in health screenings and fitness assessments. Bellwood Kopp Drug will be on hand to give blood pressure screenings.
Altoona Curve’s Steamer will visit the Rec Center from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Staff will also be available to answer questions and show guests around the new facility. Individuals may stop by the center anytime throughout the day to try out the equipment or just to take a look at the new building.
A representative for the Northern Blair Recreation Center explained that the building is taking place in phases. Phase one includes mostly adult fitness equipment. There is currently cardiovascular and strength training equipment available such as treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines and free weights. Phase two, which will go out to bid soon, will include the addition of basketball courts to the facility.
Eventually, the center will house outdoor athletic fields and a walking track and locker rooms, among other additions.
The Daily Herald previously reported that plans for a new recreation center in northern Blair County started as informal meetings in the basement of a home years ago. Finally in May, all the planning became a reality when officials broke ground at the Northern Blair Recreation Center site.
The story began years ago after a pick-up game of basketball. NBRC President and area businessman Bruno DeGol thought it would be great to see a recreation facility in northern Blair County.
The informal “basement” meetings at DeGol’s home soon turned into a small working committee dedicated to establishing such a facility in the area. With the help of state Senator Robert Jubelirer and Representative Larry Sather, more than $500,000 in state grant money became available and the project got underway.
In the spring of 2001, the NBCRC received a $500,000 grant from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development.
In addition, the Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation (ABCD) agreed to sell a 15-acre parcel adjacent to the Little Juniata River to NBCRC.
Later, the Township of Antis donated even more land to the project, giving it a total area of about 50 acres. It is located along Old Route 220 just beyond DelGrosso’s Amusement Park.
A previous Daily Herald article described the plans for the recreation center which included locker rooms for both men and women, a large weight room, a basketball court, a kitchen, a multi-purpose room, a game room, and plenty of office space.
The plans also call for the outside of the facility to hold a number of recreational areas, including two soccer fields, a youth center, a basketball court, a baseball field, pavilions, plenty of bleacher space and close to 200 parking spaces.
There is also a 70-by-100 foot area reserved for future expansion.
Individuals are encouraged to stop by the new facility on Monday, tour the building and check out the new equipment.
