Henry County Parks and Recreation turns former YMCA building into first indoor rec center

HENRY COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - Henry County Parks and Recreation is in the process of turning the former YMCA building in Collinsville into its first indoor rec center.

Before the YMCA moved out, Parks and Recreation rented out a small space inside the building.

“For years, we never really had any place to do indoor activities,” said Roger Adams, Director of Henry County Parks and Recreation. “We were kind of limited on space. We would do some activities in rooms of various buildings in the community. We never really had space for anything that was dedicated to us, where we knew if we offered a program, we were definitely going to have the space for it.”

Parks and Recreation now owns the facility and began renovations last year by replacing the roof.

They are currently painting the walls, installing new floors, and furnishing the inside.

“We have 27 park facilities in our county. So, there’s tons of trails, parks and outdoor facilities that we can use. But, a lot of activities are done indoors with camps and programs and especially those folks that are not physically able to get out and do our programs that we offer in the parks and on the trails,” added Adams.

They can now offer additional programs and indoor events such as a girls’ volleyball league, senior activities, yoga and more.

“This is a great facility that people will be able to come inside especially on cold and rainy days. Of course, with things like volleyball, you need indoor space to have. So, it’s a great asset for our community to finally have a nice Recreation Center for folks to be able to come and take part in activities here,” said Adams.

They expect to have renovations complete by fall of this year.

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