Plans for a new Madison regional community center will be unveiled Thursday night, after four years in the making. It will replace a rec center built in 1963.
After he was elected in 2011, Madison Councilman Bill Pridemore says the first constituent call he answered was from a senior citizen who was dissatisfied with the aging center near Old Hickory Boulevard.
“She was sick and tired of having to go to East Nashville or to West Nashville or wherever, to workout or exercise,” Pridemore said. “And she said, ‘I think it’s time you should be able to take care of the senior citizens of Madison.’ “
He agreed — and named the project his top priority.
He’s made the case that the old center wasn’t in good shape and mostly catered to children after school.
“Other than the gym for basketball or volleyball or what else, there’s not much else for the adults to do there. This will change all that,” he said.
A new fitness center is the biggest change, plus meeting rooms with a kitchen. (
View images from the Madison Park master plan.)
“That [fitness center] will bring a lot of people together … young people who want to work out and the seniors who want to get in shape, like me,” he said. “We want to have a place to go where we can be safe and comfortable.”
Outside, the surrounding park will also get new sports fields and an area for dogs.
Groundbreaking is in August 2016, and the center should open a year after that.
The design unveiling is at 6 p.m. at the current community center at 510 Cumberland Avenue.
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