Lathrop community center opens today

By

Record Staff Writer

June 27, 2014 12:00 AM

LATHROP – On a typical day at the brand new Lathrop Generations Center, teens will take classes and break for a game of pool, city residents will visit the library, and the agile will hone their skills at the facility’s skate park and parkour course.

The new center, which will hold a grand-opening event from 1 to 3 p.m. today, was seven years in the making. The project first was envisioned by Lathrop officials in 2007. They say the final result was well worth the wait. Many of the facilities at the Generations Center are for people of all ages, but one of the focal points at the site is the new teen center.

“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to offer some things to local teens that we couldn’t offer before,” said Zach Jones, Lathrop’s recently hired director of parks and recreation. “The proximity to the high school offers a chance to provide tutoring and leadership opportunities to students. I’m very excited.”

The 9,500-square-foot Generations Center is located on nearly seven acres at 450 Spartan Way, a short walk from Lathrop High School. When school is out, it will provide a meeting place for middle- and high-school students. When school is open, teens will have an inviting and stimulating after-school environment in which to spend time productively.

“We’ve got plenty of things to keep kids in a safe environment and having a good time, and plenty of places for kids to get their homework done,” Jones said.

The parkour course is a special bonus, Lathrop officials say. For the uninitiated, Wikipedia describes parkour as “a holistic training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training.”

Project and program manager Ken Reed said the Lathrop parkour facility is “a very gymnastic-style course. It has obstacles they go through to perfect their moves. We’re the first, as far as we know, municipal parkour course in the country.”

Other facilities at the Generations Center include a community garden, an amphitheater for outdoor concerts and poetry nights, and a new public library that will replace Lathrop’s former rented site, which closed last week to make way for the new facility.

As for the teen center, an annual membership is $25, officials say. For more information, call (209) 941-7370.