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The Virginian - Pilot (Norfolk, VA.)
VIRGINIA BEACH — The wait is almost over. The Kempsville Recreation Center will reopen this summer, just in time for the kiddos to enjoy the splash zone and zero-entry pool.
Construction on the 87,000-square-foot facility is in the final stages, and a grand opening is set for June 8.
"It's full speed ahead," said Chad Morris, planning, design and development administrator for Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation. "It'll come down to the wire, of course."
The area near Kempsville High School has been without a city-owned gym for more than two years. In February 2015, Virginia Beach's first recreation center, which was built in 1977, closed in preparation for demolition.
Now, a brand-new $32.1 million building is taking its place.
The natatorium has a six-lane lap pool with two diving boards and an inverted 20-foot wall next to the pool for climbing. There's a current resistance channel for therapeutic walking that can be reversed to create a lazy river. For the kids, there's a separate pool with a play area and a shallow section for learning to swim.
If you're working toward that swimsuit body, there is a one-eighth-mile indoor track and fitness room with weights and exercise equipment including treadmills.
The new facility will also have a double gymnasium and several multipurpose rooms.
The grand opening ceremony is tentatively set for 3:30 p.m. on June 8, but details have not been completed, Morris said.
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