Come one! Come all! Help dedicate the Whetstone Community Center!

After $5.6 million in improvements, the Whetstone Recreation Center will re-open its doors in September as the Whetstone Community Center.

Be a part of this historic event! Mayor Coleman, Recreation & Parks Director Alan McKnight, Councilmember Priscilla Tyson and others will be on hand to dedicate the Whetstone Community Center on Saturday, September 6th at 9:30 am on the north side of the building. Tours will be available following the brief ceremony and, at 10 am, the Clintonville Arts & Music Festival begins. It's a terrific day for Clintonville--come join the fun.

If you miss the September 6th tours, you can also see the center on the 2008 Clintonville Homes Tour on September 14. With a "Renovation Generation" theme, it will feature homes that have undergone extensive renovations. As one of the neighborhood's most prominent projects, the community center is being included on the tour. In addition, all proceeds benefit the WRI fundraising (thanks Clintonville Community Fund!). Click here for more information.

The Whetstone Renovation Initiative will continue our work until spring, to meet the following goals:

1) Purchase final fixtures and furnishings needed for the center. As center staff move back in and start up programs once again, they will refine their wish list. We will continue to help purchase furnishings and other necessary supplies. Click here to make an online donation.

2) Provide volunteer labor for the installation of the new playground. We are working with the city to organize a playground build on September 18 and 19. Contact Nikki Hudson at nhudson@one.net to volunteer or for more information.

3) Install a community patio adjacent to the playground in the spring of 2009. Yes, this means that brick sales will continue through next March. But don’t delay your purchase—we will finalize the budget for the patio based on the number of bricks we sell by the end of this year. Click here for a brick order form.

There is much to celebrate. None of this would have happened without the involvement of hundreds of local residents—from folks who filled out surveys back in 2005, to those who gave donations and bought bricks, to the tireless volunteers who attended endless meetings, staffed tables at community events, and asked friends, neighbors and businesses to contribute.

And now Clintonville has a terrific facility—air-conditioned, updated and expanded—to better serve the community. Thanks to all who made this possible. Let’s celebrate on September 6th, 9:30 am. See you there!