Work on a replacement for east Fort Worth's Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center officially starts Monday, Nov. 16, with a groundbreaking ceremony open to the public.
District 5 Councilmember Deborah Peoples and the Park & Recreation Department will host the event at 10 a.m. at 1500 Liberty St., the city announced.
The new building will cover about 28,000 square feet and hold a library, a gym, fitness and workout space and room set aside for social service providers to run programs. An outdoor aquatic complex is planned alongside it, with an eight-lane, 25-yard lap pool, an interactive play area and a leisure pool with a waterslide.
The city says $25.7 million from the voter-approved 2022 bond program will help pay for the project, which was designed by HarrisonKornberg Architects and Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects. The city's project page breaks that amount into $17.5 million for the community center and $8.2 million for the aquatic facility. The announcement did not give an opening date or the total construction cost.
The center is part of the Stop Six Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan, a broader effort to add amenities in the neighborhood. The city says that includes giving more residents of Stop Six and the rest of east Fort Worth access to a pool.
