11 Louisville community centers reopening March 29

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Eleven Louisville community centers will reopen Monday, according to Mayor Greg Fischer's office.

Starting March 29, the following centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday:

Beechmont Community Center, 205 West Wellington Ave. (502-361-5484)
Berrytown Community Center, 1300 Heafer Rd. (502-456-8148)
California Community Center, 1600 West St. Catherine St. (502-574-2658)
Cyril Allgeier Community Center, 4101 Cadillac Ct. (502-456-3261)
Molly Leonard Portland Community Center, 640 North 27th St. (502-776-0913)
Newburg Community Center, 4810 Exeter Ave. (502-456-8122)
Parkhill Community Center, 1703 South 13th St. (502-637-3044)
Shelby Park Community Center, 600 East Oak St. (502-574-1780)
South Louisville Community Center, 2911 Taylor Blvd. (502-574-3206)
Southwick Community Center, 3621 Southern Ave. (502-775-6598)
Sun Valley Community Center, 6505 Bethany Ln. (502-937-8802)

The centers will require guests to wear masks and have their temperatures taken, Fischer's office said in a news release. They will also follow capacity limits to ensure visitors can follow social distancing.

Fischer, in a news release, cited declining COVID-19 positivity rates and more people getting vaccinated against the virus as guiding the decision to reopen the centers for the first time since March 2020. He said safety amid the pandemic will be the centers' top priority while they offer programming and other activities to their respective communities.

"We know people have really missed the community centers and we are thrilled to get them open this week, as our schoolchildren begin spring break," Fischer said in the news release.

Beginning April 5, the centers will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays. Each center will take a daily "break" from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. "for cleaning and disinfecting," Fischer's office said in the news release.

According to Fischer's office, community center visitors will see that the facilities have undergone major indoor and outdoor renovations while they have been closed during the pandemic.

"Some of the centers look almost brand new," said Ben Johnson, assistant director of Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation. "Our team is excited to show our guests the improvements that have been made."

With fresh paint and a new gym floor, the California Community Center is ready to reopen.

Inside the center off St. Catherine Street, Dr. Shawn Gardner leads 2 NOT 1, an organization promoting kids' wellbeing by keeping fathers involved and families together.

"It's family that you're seeing. If something goes on in school, then you know about it. If something's going on at home, you know about it," said Gardner, who is excited to bring in-person services back to the facility after working with people through Zoom during the pandemic.

"Being able to come together just allows us an opportunity to be in a space, go deeper, be transparent, and give people the support that I don't think you can give while being on the other side of a computer screen," said Gardner.

Also inside California's community center is St. George's Scholar Institute, a program that helps kids with academics and college readiness.

"It's been a long, rough year, but we are thrilled at the opportunity to re-engage on a consistent basis, day in and day out, with these young people," said St. George's director Arthur Cox.

The program has been running an NTI hub with its partners and is ready to reach more kids through summer break.

"We know the community really needs us to step up in academic support, working in concert with JCPS and parents, to really try to help kids get caught back up," said Cox. "Whether they need technical support, or academic support, or they just need someone to listen to them, then we want to be there for them."

Those who reach people inside the walls of the community center are excited to reunite in a space that means so much to so many people.

"It reiterates family," said Gardner. "It reiterates that this is a safe space, that we're open for the community, and we're here for the community."

Four other centers, Shawnee, Douglass, the Metro Arts Center and the Wilderness Road Senior Center, are expected to open during a second reopening phase later this spring, Fischer's office said.