EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — The wait is now over, and East Cleveland made sure to give people like Shirley Oldham a warm welcome back on Friday during its grand reopening celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center.
“I am very much excited. Been waiting on this for a while,” said Shirley Oldham, an East Cleveland resident.“This is very, very much a happy day for me.”
Even Marcedes Horton said she could feel the love as she walked around for the first time.
“Everybody was posting like the new gym is just amazing. I’m like c’mon let’s go look. Perfect day. Perfect timing. It’s just beautiful,” said Horton.
News 5 first told you about the city’s plans to reopen the civic center in March.
RELATED: Recreation center to reopen in East Cleveland after being closed for years
Now, less than two months later, the city has kept its word and finally opened the center’s doors to reveal the newly renovated space, with a state-of-the-art weight room, a walking track, an indoor turf, and tons of gym space.
“This is an important time for our community. I’m just excited that we have a gathering place for everyone,” said East Cleveland Mayor Sandra Morgan.
Since 2020, the city said the center has been vacant due to much-needed repairs to bring it up to date and to make it safe.
“A lot has happened in the community, and I personally feel like if the rec was open, we would’ve been able to grab the kids and have a little peace in the environment around here,” said East Cleveland Service and Parks Director Antonio Marshall.
With the reopening of the civic center, city leaders hope this will be a step in the right direction to restore what’s been lost in East Cleveland.
“The tide is turning here, and faster than I think anyone could’ve expected and I’m delighted about it,” said Morgan.
The civic center will open at 9 a.m. Monday.
“Thank you, Mayor, thank you council, whoever was involved in it. I love it. We appreciate it. This is a great thing,” said Oldham.
