EDINA, MO. -- It's been four years in the making, since 11 board members came together with the determination to bring a community center to Knox County. Nine months after breaking ground, the facility is open for business and is expected to whip the residents of Knox County into shape.
"There's not a lot to do here so we're hoping to have lots of things to keep the kids busy ,and a workout area to improve the health of our entire community," said Lindsay Leckbee, President of the Board of Directors for the Knox County Community Center.
During the grand-opening ceremony, there were health screenings, a free healthy lunch sponsored by the Missouri Foundation for Health, and tours of the building.
The 10,000 square foot facility has an education hall, a fitness center, a commercial kitchen, dressing rooms and a smaller meeting room. It's the result of what happens when a dream captures the minds of a group of people, and with hard work, their dream becomes a reality.
"It looks just like we envisioned and better actually," said Kisha Nickell, the architect who volunteered her time to design the building. Nickell said she lived in Edina until she was 5 years old, and graduated from Kirksville High School.
"It's nice that everybody was local that dedicated their time and even local businesses. That's what's important, " Nickell said.
"When you're a part of a community, you make sacrifices for it," said Robert Collinge, an Edina resident who donated funds toward construction of the facility. "That's why this is here, because people made sacrifices. They donate their money, their time, and their equipment."
Those sacrifices include thousands of dollars worth of donations from the community, local businesses that contributed to the construction of the facility, and persistence from board members.
The project also received help from the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the Missouri Foundation for Health. In addition, an endowment from the late John "JJ" Hayes contributed to the construction of the facility.
"Anybody that thinks the American spirit is dead needs to drive to Edina, Mo., because this is a testimony to what a community and hardworking people can get accomplished," said St. Rep. Craig Redmon, (R)-Canton, who represents Missouri's 1st House District.
In the Fitness Center portion of the facility, there's a room full of top-of-the line cardio and strength equipment.
"We have a full line of brand-new Precor cardio equipment, also a full line of Precor strength, plus a few free weights and a couple extra pieces that make it a well rounded fitness center," said Thomas Christen, the Director of the facility.
"The machines are great here," said Skyler Sullens, an Edina resident and football player. "I haven't seen anything like this since I went on a tour to Mizzou. So, this is pretty good."
The community center is open 24-hours a day. Currently, memberships are on sale. On grand-opening day, more than 48 family memberships were sold.
The prices for the membership include:
1. $360 for a 1-year family membership
2. $240 for a 1-year individual membership
3. $120 for a 1-year student membership
4. $216 for a 1-year senior membership
The Education Hall is also being rented out for meetings, banquets and weddings. For more information, call (660) 397-2196 or email kccomunitycenter@gmail.com.
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