The community is invited to join the ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration for the new Redmond Community Center at Marymoor Village from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 24.

The celebration will include a ribbon cutting ceremony, open house, kids’ activities, free giveaways, the Annual Beat the Bunny 5K Run/Walk and more.

“The new Community Center provides a welcoming space where the community can gather, meet, create and recreate. This facility is an important piece of the city’s priority to continue building a strong community in Redmond,” said Mayor John Marchione.

Located at 6505 176th Ave. NE, adjacent to the East entrance of Marymoor Park, the Community Center offers a diverse range of recreation programs and services out of the 20,000 square foot facility that was previously called the Lake Washington School of Technology (LWTech) Redmond Campus. LWTech still owns this facility that was built in 2005. The City of Redmond is currently on a two-year lease with LWTech and hosts a variety of new and pre-existing recreation programs at the location. The partnership with LWTech was established in response to the lease ending at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center.

“This is a win-win for our community. LWTech will be able to reinvest the lease proceeds into growing and strengthening our workforce education programs – creating more opportunities for Redmond youth and working adults. Redmond will be able to continue to have a well-maintained and furnished community center,” said Amy Morrison Goings, president of Lake Washington Institute of Technology.

The community center includes five multipurpose rooms which provide space for a variety of recreational, arts and cultural classes and activities. There are two flexible fitness spaces that host fitness, dance, and other physical activity based classes in addition to a tiered classroom with stadium seating and a new drop-in fitness area with both cardio and strength training equipment. Open and bright spaces are featured throughout, including an outdoor patio and indoor atrium. The space is also available for rental by the community for birthday parties and gatherings, and will host a diverse menu of summer activities.

The new Community Center will also support the community’s recreation needs while the City of Redmond works towards a long-term community center plan. The City recently completed extensive community outreach regarding the future of Redmond’s Community Centers and will continue to explore current and future options to address these needs.

More information on the Grand Opening event and the future of Redmond’s Community Centers can be found at www.redmond.gov/communitycenter.