Hilton Head’s Island Rec Center opening delayed again. Here’s what it looks like inside.

Hilton Head’s Island Recreation Center is nearing the end of a 22-month face-lift, but it doesn’t look like it will officially open before the end of the year.

The expanded spaces, including the new gymnasium, restrooms, outdoor playground, expanded parking lot and front entrance are set to be completed this month, according to executive director Frank Soule.

He said the staff is planning a soft opening with limited hours in December. Until then, the Rec Center is offering $20 all-access memberships from when the gym opens in December until Jan. 13 when annual membership plans begin.

The renovation was supposed to be complete by early November, but Soule said a hurricane season with two named storms delayed construction.

The renovation and expansion was funded by the Town of Hilton Head and People for Parks, a nonprofit that ran the fundraising campaign for the equipment that will go inside the new building.

Director of Programs and Operations Leah Arnold said the expansion was “13 years in the making” and used about $13.3 million from the town for building construction and more than $1 million from People for Parks for the equipment.

After the renovation is finished, the center will offer memberships to use the expanded fitness center, pool area and group exercise programs.

According to the Island Rec Center website, guests may choose between the following memberships:

• Standard membership for fitness equipment for $25 per month
• Standard pool membership for $25 per month
• Standard membership that includes both fitness equipment and pool use for $50 per month
• All access memberships that include group fitness classes, pool use and fitness equipment for $90 per month
  
  

Memberships will begin on Jan. 14, according to marketing director Hilary Groff.

The Island Rec Center offers a $5 per month discount for students, seniors and military, and a special discount if guests pay for the year up front, according to the website.

What will be new when the expanded facility opens in January? Take a look at the new center with Arnold and Recreation Director Bob Rozek:

1. New adult gymnasium: The new gymnasium will be a space more geared toward adults, according to Arnold. The space will include the following:

• A 1/17-mile running and walking track.
  
  
• Cardio equipment.
• Strength equipment.
• A community room that can be reserved for meetings.
• Basketball courts.

Rozek said the existing gymnasium, which now has new wood flooring, bleachers and basketball hoops, will house youth programs. The gym was built in 1988, and Rozek said, “the only remaining part of that gym is the walls.” Along with the renovated gym, the youth area includes a new preschool room and community room named after Native Islander Charlie Brown.

2. New fitness programs: The center will feature a group fitness studio that Rozek said will offer cardio and yoga classes for adults. Rozek said that in the future, the Island Recreation Center may be able to replace a gym membership for adults on the island.

3. Cool new playground and updated outdoor courts: Tennis players now will be able to play after sundown on lighted courts that have been moved closer to the center. The recreation center shares the courts with Hilton Head High School.

Rozek said the basketball and pickleball courts have been resurfaced to last longer. Now that resurfacing is finished, he said the courts are open for pickleball in the morning and outdoor basketball in the afternoon.

A brand-new outdoor playground will be installed behind the center once the indoor facilities are complete. It will include shaded play space, swings and slides. The structure will be located behind the first baseline of the Hilton Head High School baseball field. But don’t worry parents, the recreation center has begun installation on a net along the playground and tennis court to catch any foul balls.

The new gymnasium will include shaded picnic tables around the perimeter of the building, which Arnold said families and visitors can use for lunchtime.

4. Curb appeal: The Island Recreation Center will have a new look from the street. Instead of the small, existing entrance on the north side of the building, visitors will now enter from the south side of the building, where Arnold said the center has installed a new parking lot with around 130 spaces.

The new entrance will include lofted ceilings and a wide staircase that leads to the walking track, a membership desk and vending machines. Rozek and other staff moved out of mobile trailers in June and into new, permanent offices that overlook the adult basketball courts.

5. Improved indoor/outdoor pool area: Arnold said the new expansion includes a pool office, storage building and outdoor restrooms located near the pool, so visitors won’t be running to and from the pool area to restrooms across the sidewalk. Arnold said this was a particular problem in the winter time, when the outdoor pool is covered by a newly-improved inflatable dome.

“We had people running in and out of the dome through the cold after swimming to get to the restrooms,” Arnold said about a lack of facilities at “the only community pool on the island.”

The restrooms located in the youth gymnasium area have been renovated to include 11 stalls, lockers for storage and four shower stalls. New restrooms located near the playground will be accessible from outside the center but, Rozek said, will be locked after the center closes for the night.

This story has been updated to reflect opening information for the Island Recreation Center.

This story was originally published August 27, 2018 at 2:33 PM.