Oct 30, 2017 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – The main entrance to the new EQT REC Center at EverGreene Technology Park was a beehive of activity last week as workers came and went bringing in materials and supplies to prepare the center for its grand opening.

About a year and a half after construction began on the 60,000-square-foot community recreation center in Franklin Township, work is drawing to a close and the grand opening has been set for Nov. 18.

The $8 million building was constructed by the Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation, a nonprofit organization, on 13.3 acres in the business park. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. today.

The building includes a 24,300-square-foot indoor soccer field, a regulation basketball court, fitness center, walking and jogging track, and multipurpose rooms for meetings, events and exercise and educational classes.

“We hope to provide for a variety of needs: educational programs, community events and certainly, sports and recreation,” said Dave Jones, the foundation’s executive director, during a brief walk-through of the building Tuesday.

The facility’s aim, said Mia Matos, the center’s general manager, who was also on-site and busy preparing for the opening, is to offer activities for everyone.

The center hopes to organize league sports in basketball, soccer and football, for both children and adults, she said. It also will offer educational programs and fitness programs, like Zumba and yoga, and exercise specifically for older adults.

The center, in addition, will be listening to the community to learn what interests residents might have in further programming, Matos said.

“We want to make sure our offerings are effective,” she said.

The foundation board has been developing the project and raising money for it for the better part of four years.

Formed in 2005 with the proceeds of the sale of the former Greene County Memorial Hospital, the foundation supports programs to improve the health and well-being of county residents.

Construction of the center was the foundation’s idea to create something lasting for the entire county, Jones said. A study the foundation completed several years ago had pointed to the need for a community recreation center in the county.

Hard-hat tours are currently being conducted at the center for residents who are considering a membership. So far, Jones said, the membership drive has been doing well.

Many of those who were members at the foundation’s fitness center at WHS-Greene hospital are now on-board for the new center, he said. The foundation is closing the fitness center it has operated at the hospital for many years.

Membership fees for the recreation center are very affordable, Matos said, and vary based on whether it is for an individual, couple, family or student. Scholarships also may be available to those who have trouble paying the fee, based on family income, she said.

The foundation is building the center with its own funds and with money raised through sponsorships and donations. The center is named after EQT Corp., the project’s naming sponsor.

The foundation, so far, has raised about $2.1 million, and it continues to accept donations, Jones said.

Those who would like to tour the facility, apply for a membership or consider a donation can call the center at 724-627-2739.

The Nov. 18 opening ceremonies for the center will begin at 10 a.m. with a welcome and an inaugural soccer ball kick on the indoor soccer field. The public is invited.

“We encourage everyone to come tour the facility, visit our vendors, enjoy snacks and giveaways, and watch or participate in our free class demos,” Matos said.