TEXARKANA, Ark. (KTAL/KMSS) – The city of Texarkana, Arkansas has officially opened the doors to a new recreation center.
The former boys and girls club building has been undergoing renovations for the past year, at a cost of nearly $1.5 million.
The center will provide recreational and educational needs for all ages in the community.
The center will not only come equipped with an outdoor recreational sports area, gymnasium, game room, but also a computer lab, tutoring room, and reading lab.
Mayor Allen Brown says he hopes the center will provide a safe place for citizens and reduce juvenile crime.
“When you give juveniles an opportunity to do things after school and have after-school programs, we’re going to have tutoring programs, that type stuff, your juvenile crime rate goes down,” Brown said.
The building was gifted to the city by the late George and Florence Crank and has been vacant since 2008.
The rec center, located at 1 Legion Drive, will be open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays.
