Bloomington celebrates end of 50-year community center era
The Bloomington City Council held a farewell celebration for the Creekside Community Center, which is closing after more than five decades of serving the community. The closure marks a transition period as the city prepares to open a new community health and wellness center.
The Creekside Community Center, a fixture in Bloomington for over 50 years, officially closed its doors, with the city council hosting a "Cheers to Creekside" event to mark the occasion. The beloved facility has long provided recreation and senior programs to residents, but the physical building will not reopen in its current form.
While the center itself is closing, the city is working to ensure its programs and services continue during a transition period. The Creekside boutique will operate temporarily from City Hall, while other programs and activities will move to Logan Lodge. These interim arrangements are expected to last approximately two years.
The closure is part of a larger plan to modernize the city's community facilities. A new community health and wellness center is currently under construction and will eventually replace the aging Creekside building. Residents can track the progress of this new facility at bloomingtonforward.org.
Community members who attended the farewell event expressed mixed emotions about the changes—sadness over losing a longtime institution, but also optimism about the future amenities the new center will provide. The transition reflects the city's effort to balance honoring the past while investing in updated facilities for the future.
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[0:04] today we're at the Cheers to Creekide
[0:06] celebration event today is our last day
[0:08] after 50 plus years of Creekide
[0:10] Community Center being a place for
[0:12] recreation programs for seniors in our
[0:14] community we are closing the doors and
[0:16] and saying goodbye we have a big
[0:18] celebration here today folks can come
[0:20] and paint rocks with messages on them
[0:23] they can get their picture taken in
[0:24] front of the building we're working on a
[0:26] quilt that people can write memories on
[0:28] and we're going to put it together and
[0:30] hang it in our new building for the past
[0:31] couple of weeks here at Creekide we've
[0:33] been allowing the participants to leave
[0:34] their mark on the building by writing a
[0:36] memory or sharing a drawing on the wall
[0:38] it's been a really good way to say
[0:39] goodbye to the building i've been
[0:41] participating
[0:42] in um activities here at Creekide for
[0:45] over 15 years i played cards hand and
[0:48] foot i spend most of my time here with
[0:51] the music on Thursday mornings and
[0:53] that's probably if I had to pick a
[0:55] favorite that would certainly be that
[0:56] one i really enjoyed the time I had here
[0:59] at Creekide i got into leather
[1:03] this was one of my first projects
[1:06] so because of that I made gifts for the
[1:09] grandkids and then I got into the rock
[1:11] shop and ground down a stone to fit a
[1:14] ring then I've been very active in the
[1:16] boutique which is moving for the interim
[1:19] to city hall we're going to participate
[1:21] in the summer farmers markets looking
[1:24] forward to that we think that'll be very
[1:25] successful it not only provides an
[1:28] outlet for the crafters but it's a very
[1:30] social thing so even though Creekide is
[1:33] closing the programs and activities will
[1:35] still be living on and we'll hope
[1:36] everyone will join us in our interim
[1:38] location at the Logan Lodge for the next
[1:40] 2 years while they're building the new
[1:41] community health and wellness center you
[1:43] can stay up to date on project updates
[1:45] at bloomingtonforward.org
[1:47] i would say farewell to Creekide
[1:50] building you have served us well going
[1:52] to miss you i've got mixed feelings i'm
[1:55] sad but optimistic farewell Creekide so
[2:00] if you'll raise your glasses with me
[2:03] thank you Creekide for the 50 plus years
[2:06] of memories cheers to Creekide
[2:10] [Applause]
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