By Melissa Bribiesca

It’s time to celebrate with Johnson County Park and Recreation District and the city of Roeland Park for the reopening of the Roeland Park Community Center.

Over the past year, the building has received a facelift to include an interior and exterior fresh coat of paint, updated flooring, lighting, renovated restrooms and wall murals about the history of the building.

With the changes of the facility comes great opportunity, but the history remains the same. In 1953, the Skyline Elementary School was built in Roeland Park to fulfill the need of a growing population.

The name Skyline was chosen because of the view of the Kansas City, Missouri skyline which is visible to the northeast of the building. The school closed its doors in 1975 due to its declining enrollment numbers but remained open as a special education school until 1982. Roeland Park acquired the building in 1985 and converted it into a community center.

With the completion of the renovation, JCPRD programs are back at the community center.

We are excited to welcome back old friends and invite new ones to check out what we have to offer, whether you are looking for ways to stay fit such as joining our Zumba or tai chi classes, want to explore your talents in our new drop-in painting group or simply want to celebrate with friends at an event such as our New Year’s Eve bingo! Our mission is to enrich our community with opportunities in recreation, education and leisure services to encourage a healthier lifestyle for all ages.

More details about programs at the reopened Roeland Park Community Center are available online at jcprd.com.

Not only does the community center transformation enhance our programs, but it also provides an exciting new rental opportunity.

The newly renovated Buena Vista room now includes an indoor/outdoor space that leads to an outdoor patio for birthday parties, baby showers or business meetings. In addition, there are a variety of newly renovated spaces to meet other individual needs.

Additionally, don’t forget about the fitness room. The cardio room includes ellipticals, treadmills and bikes. The weight-training area features sets of Body Masters machines plus a selection of free weights up to 100 pounds.

This neighborhood fitness room is great for those ready to get in, work out and get out at a low cost.

For more information regarding the Roeland Park Community Center, call 913-826-3160, visit JCPRD’s website or stop by at 4850 Rosewood Drive, Roeland Park.

Melissa Bribiesca is recreation coordinator at the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.