One positive effect of the mid-March closing of all city of Perry facilities in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic has been the full-throttle pace of progress in remodeling the McCreary Community Building.
Demolition began in early March on the MCB auditorium, the first phase of the $1.7 million remodeling project approved by the Perry City Council in January. Plans called for piecemeal improvements right through to November, with one area of the facility after another under construction but the center itself remaining open for the duration.
But with the virus and the complete closure of the facility, Urbandale-based Ball Team Construction LLC has gained unimpeded access to the building and is steaming ahead with the improvements and upgrades, including converting the MCB auditorium to a cardio workout room, resurfacing the gymnasium floor, adding a family restroom and child watch room, remodeling the locker rooms, kitchen, restrooms and other changes.
Aug. 1 is now the target date for reopening the MCB, according to Perry Parks and Recreation Director John Anderson. Public access to the splash pad and pool area might be possible in July, Anderson said, if construction permits.
Prior renovations to the MCB have been made gradually over several years. The most immediate recent needs were the $250,000 roof replacement in 2018 and the $280,000 replacement of the MCB’s 35-year-old chillers and boilers in 2019.
With these infrastructure priorities addressed, attention turned to improving the MCB’s interior and to the opinions expressed by Perry residents when surveyed in 2018 for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
The McCreary Community Building opened Sept. 24, 1983, with help from a $650,000 bequest from the estate of Rex and Irma McCreary of Perry. The McCrearys made several stipulations about what their money could be used for when put toward a community center in Perry, including requiring senior services and daycare services and a city match of the McCreary funds.
The taxpayers of Perry approved a $1.14 million bond issue for the center in the summer of 1981. The rec center has always operated at a loss, but the value of the facility as a public asset has made it well worth supporting over the years, according to Perry residents and city officials.
