INDIANAPOLIS – Indy Parks held an open house Saturday to welcome the Broad Ripple community to the new Broad Ripple Park Family Center.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors were offered tours, free giveaways from local businesses and partners, health resources, sample classes and more.
Among the visitors were residents of the area, including families and children.
"It gives us a lot more opportunity to interact with other people in the community and be more active, especially when the outside weather is cooler we have an indoor opportunity to work out,” Broad Ripple resident Connie Runkle said.
The new center has an indoor walking track, gymnasium, exercise rooms, a children’s play area, party rooms and other amenities including a multi-disciplinary care site operated by Community Health.
The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.
“It’s kind of one of the coolest things Indy Parks has done on the north side in a while,” Broad Ripple resident Abby Hunt said. “I grew up here and I went to Broad Ripple High school. It’s just nice to have something that’s beautiful, easy to access and is affordable. And that you feel like ‘I can drop the kids off.’”
According to the Center’s Assistant Manager Ashley Greene, the children’s play area will be open to the public during regular hours and will charge a two-dollar fee to insure the Park’s employees can monitor children.
Open gym will be offered to children under 12 for free and for youth 13 through 17 for $1. Drop-in open gym use will be $3 for adults and membership is available for $15.
The walking track is also open to the public free of charge.
Greene says to check the Center’s Facebook or Indyparks.gov for updates on upcoming special events such as an Easter Gingerbread House event and an Easter egg hunt.
