Big Bang not just a theory

The Eureka Springs Community Center (ESCC) is kicking off the year with a Spark 2020 Igniting the Next Year of Progress, this Sunday from 1 – 2:30 p.m. at the community center gym.

The event is being billed as the community center’s “Big Bang” event.

“Let’s light up the sky with community center announcements and updates,” it says on the flyer. “Take a tour of the Fitness Center, see where the activities rooms are and where a living room will be. Get caught up on what happened in 2019 and what to look forward to in 2020.”

ESCC Board Chair Diane Murphy said the event will recap the community center progress: summarize the 2019 income and expenditures; highlight current classes and activities; share the 2020 work plan and ask the community how they would like the board to spend $5,000 for improvements in the community center.

“The $5,000 decision happens during the Spark 2020 event and the winning project will be announced that afternoon,” Murphy said. “We want everyone attending to vote. We will have a number of informational boards set up in the gym for the community to convey information, and board members will be there to answer questions about every aspect of the community center –what we have done so far, and what we have on the drawing board for 2020.”

A highlight of 2019 was the opening of a fully equipped fitness center in the gymnasium building. Board member Jean Elderwind said the fitness center is a hit. More than 50 people use it daily and it brings in new members every week. The most popular machines are the treadmills and stair climber

“We see folks coming in when we open at 6 a.m. to work out in the fitness center before they start their workdays, and we see families using the equipment later in the day,” Elderwind said. “People may be surprised to know that there are over 200 offerings at the community center every month. It’s really exciting when there are multiple activities happening. We love seeing a full parking lot and high energy at the campus.”

Membership is $50 per year per family, and membership has already climbed to 537. The community center is also a great attraction for tourists.

“Visitors are pleasantly surprised to find that we offer affordable visitor day passes both to individuals and families,” Elderwind said.

The Work Plan for 2020 includes remodeling four classrooms in the Office Park for leasing, replacing the roof over the former band room located in the community center building, constructing a quarter-mile walking trail around the community center property, building a new community center website and extending hours of operation.

“This is, of course, in addition to continuing support for the classes and gym activities we currently offer, plus adding new class opportunities to our members,” Elderwind said.

There are discussions about building a pavilion that could be used for the Farmers’ Market and other activities. Because there is no funding yet, it isn’t in the 2020 work plan, but there are ongoing efforts for locating grant possibilities.