The City of Red Bay held a ribbon cutting Dec. 1 to welcome the newest addition to the Parks & Recreation Department: the Red Bay Recreation Center, located at 629 10th St. SE, behind Community Center Church.

Purchased in March, the city has been working on cleaning, painting and upgrading to get the two-story facility ready for opening.

“We appreciate the opportunity afforded to us by Community Center Church to acquire this property,” said Mayor Charlene Fancher.

A number of local dignitaries attended the grand opening festivities earlier this month, with the opportunity to view and admire all it will offer the community.

Judge Barry Moore said the facility is something to be proud of. “The rec center is a great asset for our community.” Rep. Jamie Kiel commended the mayor and council for working to make everything happen. “It’s an honor to work with them. They approach everything as a team effort, and this is just another way they have found to serve the community,” Kiel said. “This facility is an investment that Red Bay can be proud of for many years to come.”

Current hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for walkers, volleyball, basketball or pickle ball.

To schedule league teams for evenings and Saturday volleyball, basketball or pickle ball, contact Parks & Rec Director Dean Hubbard at 256-668-2605.

“The City of Red Bay is extremely proud to bring this new recreational opportunity to the citizens and guests of Red Bay,” said Fancher. “We encourage everyone to use this as an opportunity to get out of the house and have fun and be active.”

Beginning Jan. 4, ladies’ aerobics classes will be offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. at a cost of $40 per month. Sign-up and pre-pay is required and can be done at Red Bay City Hall. The instructor is Erin Strickland.

Councilman Brad Bolton said the rec center has been a long-time dream, made possible thanks to being able to purchase the building at a reasonable price that allowed for necessary remodeling.

“We could have never built the rec center on our own,” Bolton said. “It’s a good day for Red Bay and the community at large. We hope everyone will go by and see everything it has to offer.”

In its regular meeting Dec. 1, the Red Bay City Council approved the only bid received for the financing of the Red Bay Recreation Center. The council accepted a split bid offer from Valley State Bank, which will serve as the lead bank and sell a 50 percent participation to Community Spirit Bank.

This is a 2.65 percent fixed interest rate over 120 months based on an amortization of 180 months – which will mean, based on a loan amount of $425,000, a monthly payment of $2,865 for the first 10 years.

The payment will be coming from the general fund. Expenses thus far have been coming from the industrial development fund, which will be paid back.