Photo by Shawn ArrajjExpected to open the first week of October, the Richard & Meg Weekley Community Center is located in the growing residential area of Yaupon Ranch off Greenhouse Road. The center's construction is a part of a larger ongoing park project for Harris County Precinct 3.
The center, at 21,000 square feet, will be the largest in Precinct 3 to date, said Belinda Price, director of community centers for the precinct. Many of the programs and activities at the center will be finalized as county officials get a better idea of the demographics that are using it.
"At our other community centers, we have yoga, arts and crafts, educational classes and presentations from the county and district attorney offices as well as health screenings," Price said. "We will formulate our classes and schedules according to what we see are the most popular groups occupying the center. We hope to have offerings for youths as well."
The center will include a large multi-purpose room that can seat 500 people, classrooms, a library and a hospitality room where people can visit and have coffee. The facility could also be used as an early voting location this October.
Price said the new center could be used by businesses and organizations—including area homeowners associations—for meetings or events. Residents can also reserve the space for events, including birthday parties, graduation parties and wedding receptions.
The center can be used at no cost during normal working hours, Price said. It will be available to rent after hours for up to eight hours at a cost that is yet to be determined. The cost will be similar to existing centers but adjusted based on the new center's size, Price said.
The center's hours have not been finalized, but Price said they will likely be from 8 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Community park
At 190 acres, the Richard & Meg Weekley Community Park will be developed over the next three years, said Mike McMahan, special activities coordinator with Precinct 3.
The most recent additions include a playground and picnic area installed to the north of the community center. Harris County Flood Control began work in September on a large detention basin directly behind the community center, expected to take one year to complete.
"It will be wet bottom detention, which is great for wildlife," McMahan said. "Deeper depressions that stay wet all the time provide an aquatic habitat for songbirds."
The most southern end of the park will feature restrooms, a parking lot and exercise area, McMahan said.
"There will be immediate access to the west bank of the detention area and a functional walking/jogging trail between the community center and exercise area," he said.
The exercise and restroom project is under construction and is expected to be complete by the first quarter of 2015, McMahan said. Demand for more park space in the dense residential area has been overwhelming, McMahan said.
"We recently built some parks, and it doesn't take any time at all for us to re-evaluate to make sure we have enough parking," he said. "People can't wait for them to open. Even in the heat of summer, the parking lots are 75 percent full."
The name for the park was chosen by Commissioner Steve Radack to honor Meg and Richard Weekley for the couple's contributions to various park projects in the Greater Houston area.
Readers can contact Price at 713-981-1251 with any questions.
