CHARLESTON, W.Va. — City officials in Charleston plan to open a new multi-recreational space at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is set to take place at 5 p.m. Monday.
Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin will join members of City Council, Chad Prather from Huntington Bank and Dr. Michelle Foster from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation to celebrate the new space.
Goodwin, who spoke with Prather on Monday’s “580 Live” heard on MetroNews affiliate 580-WCHS, said kids will now have access to basketball courts and other updated equipment.
“It’s not just basketball. It’ll be pickle-ball courts, we did the tennis courts. That’s because of one conversation I had with Chad and Huntington Bank said ‘yeah let’s do it,'” the mayor said.
Prather said he knows some families in Charleston continue to face challenges with access and hope to find safe places for their kids to play.
“We can see the Martin Luther King Center at Laidley Tower now. You can see the number of kids in the afternoon playing,” Prather said. “You think about some of the things they would be doing alternatively if not for the Martin Luther King Center.”
The COVID-19 crisis delayed construction of the space and other projects in Charleston, Goodwin said.
“Some of us had to start pulling back on projects or projects that were more difficult to complete because of supply or workers,” she said.
The MLK Center is located at 314 Donnally Street in Charleston.