The Si View Community Center held its grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, July 16.

The ceremony marked the official opening of the newly renovated community center, closed since January for renovations that began in February. The process to actually get the renovation started has been in the works for years.

Minna Rudd, Recreation Supervisor at the Community Center, explained the community center’s pre-opening activities.“We opened when camp started. June 22nd was the first day we had activities,” Rudd said. “We did a soft opening and just had our camp here for the first week.”

After being operational in the new space for a little while, the Si View Community Center was ready to officially open its doors.

The renovations project focused on creating a more modern space, yet retaining a lot of the history that the 77-year-old building is known for. There is a new classroom, a gym divider, LED lighting, more storage, and easier access.

Matthew Swett, owner of Taproot Architects, which designed the renovations, played a big role in the design of the new community center. He is thankful that the management understood the future this building could have.

“I think we are so lucky that everyone here, specifically the leadership, they really understood the future vitality of the place. Because often when you are restoring a building you are at a crossroads where you’re either just trying to retain what’s there or lose what’s there,” Swett said.

“I think what the commissioners really understood is that you need to keep what was here, but do it in a way where it will last another hundred years.”

Pictures of the gym and the pool from the 1950s hang on the wall as a way to remember the building’s history. Wherever possible, Si View re-used existing materials in the new space, including a veneer from the old gym floor now on the reception desk.

“It’s a nice little piece of history that will live on,” Rudd said. “Throughout the building there is a history of old and new.”

During the renovation, the age and history of the building really came through in some of the work that needed to be done.

“There was some evidence of a fire that had been repaired. The building had a lot of stories,” Rudd said. “It had a lot of ups and downs and served a lot of the community’s needs.”

The planned project cost was $1.7 million, funded through a variety of sources, including years of savings.

“We worked really hard to be creative with funding and grants,” Rudd said.

The team in charge of planning the renovation spent a lot of effort trying to make the center the best it could be with the money they had.

Mark Joselyn, president of the Si View Parks Commission, said this shows that, in collaboration with their partners, the government works hard to better the community.

“Government is capable of doing good things,” Joselyn said.

With the renovations finished and the building open for everyone, the Si View Community Center looks to continue its legacy as a staple of the community for many years ahead.

“It serves the needs of today but also the needs to come,” Rudd said.

“We really do serve everybody in the Valley.”

Mark Joselyn, president of the Si View Parks Commission, spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the completed community center renovations.

Travis Stombaugh, Si View director, points out historical photos to his father during the community center open house.

The new lobby of the community center is anchored by the stone fireplace, and by a sturdy picnic table made from one of the beams in the building.

The sunny social room got a new color scheme and refinished floor, and has already been put to good use by several dance camps.