Ground broken on new indoor rec center

What was once going to be a lacrosse field at the entrance to the Johnston Soccer Complex off Atwood Avenue will now be a state-of-the-art indoor recreation facility, for which Mayor Joseph Polisena and town officials ceremonially broke ground Tuesday morning.

The Johnston Indoor Athletic Center, as the 26,000-square-foot facility will be named, comes at no cost to taxpayers. Its completion is eyed for late November or early December, barring any weather issues.

“This new indoor recreation facility will be the first for our town,” Polisena said. “I, as well as our Town Council and School Committee, understand the importance of recreation for our youth as well as our adult population.”

Polisena said the center will be operational year-round, and will feature three regulation basketball courts. The mayor said two of those areas will have a rubberized multi-use surface and will be built around a third court that will have a wooden floor.

“This is an exciting time for our town,” Polisena said. “A few months ago I formed a committee to ensure this project would become a reality, and with those people this is moving along quickly.”

Doug Jeffrey, Polisena’s chief of staff, is chairman of the building committee, which includes Dennis DiPrete of DiPrete Engineering; Michael Sabitoni, president of the Rhode Island Building & Construction Trades Council; and Dan Mazzulla, director of the town’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The committee also includes Town Clerk Vince Baccari, Building Inspector Ben Nascenzi, Town Council members Robert Russo and Stephanie Manzi, School Committee member Joe Rotella, Johnston High football coach Joe Acciardo, Baccala Concrete president James Baccala, and Robert Civetti.

Yet another member of the building committee is architect Richard Cardarelli, who actually designed the facility. He expects the concrete foundation will be poured next week, said the building will cost between $2.5 and $3 million.

Once built, the center will offer areas for volleyball, baseball batting practice, lacrosse, soccer, and track. It will feature removable bleachers for a total occupancy of 280 people. It will also be complete with accessible men’s and women’s bathrooms, an office, and a concession area.

Polisena, who noted the center could also be used for Zumba and other exercise classes, added: “Proceeds used to build this will be coming from an additional $2 million from Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, in which I was able to strike a deal with them in our original lawsuit.”

The mayor, as well as speakers Russo, Rotella, and Mazzulla, all said the center will have significant benefits for the town’s residents. 1

MIGHTY MOMENT:

Mayor Joseph Polisena speaks during Tuesday morning’s groundbreaking. (Sun Rise photos by Pete Fontaine)

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BUILDING BLOCKS:

Jay Baccala, Doug Jeffrey, and Dan Mazzulla will have important roles in the building of Johnston’s state-of-the-art indoor recreation center. 3

HISTORIC HAPPENING:

Town officials perform the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Johnston Indoor Creation Center located off Atwood Avenue at the entrance to the soccer complex. 4

SUPER STRUCTURE:

This is what the state-of-the-art Johnston Indoor Athletic Center will look like once completed.