By Sarah Kuper
The Homewood Community Center on Oxmoor Road opened with much fanfare in May 2014.
Now, parks and recreation officials are taking a look back at the growth of the facility’s membership and activities.
“We are so thankful for the facility we have now. Our old building was built in the 50’s and was not suited to the needs of our community today,” said Rusty Holley, Homewood parks and recreation superintendent.
Holley is referring in part to the way the demographics of Homewood have changed over the past few decades.
“The median age here has gone down significantly. We have a lot more families with younger kids who need the services we have,” he said.
The community center is particularly popular in the summertime with swim team, youth sports, camps and special programming for all age groups.
The previous community center was demolished in 2013 to make way for the $16 million, 51,000-square-foot complex.
As a measure of its success, Holley compared summertime pool attendance records. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the old pool attracted an estimated 20,000 swimmers. Last summer, the new pool had nearly 90,000 during that period.
Additionally, Holley said the year-round workout crowd has almost doubled in size.
“I think some people were surprised at how membership and attendance exploded. But I think we all knew if we built it, people would come,” Holley said.
That’s one reason officials decided before the center opened that membership would be open only to Homewood residents.
Holley said planners knew the new center would be attractive and they wanted to avoid the potential of crowding.
Programs at the center are routinely at max capacity. Registration for summer day camps filled within days and the center is adding more teams to the flag football program after its success and popularity last summer.
But programs at the center don’t just revolve around fitness and summer fun.
“We have everything: drawing classes, karate, line dancing, belly dancing, self defense. There is a vast array of things that can appeal to anyone,” Holley said.
The community center draws members from all areas of Homewood, but Holley said the parks and recreation department eventually would love to see more opportunities for growth in West Homewood.
“But that is something that (the) City Council needs to identify and get going,” Holley said.
Other Over the Mountain area community centers are drawing large summer crowds.
The Hoover Recreation center on Municipal Drive is more than 70,000 square feet and offers more than 50 fitness and recreation classes throughout the year.
The Vestavia Hills Civic Center and Wald Park are home to five baseball fields, a walking track, swimming pool, picnic and playground areas plus a skatepark.
As for Homewood’s community center, Holley said they already are looking toward fall activities.
“Football and cheerleading signups are already full and other fall registrations will start soon,” Holley said.
Organizers also already are working on the Back-to-School Bash on Aug. 27 in Central Park.