About 20 people stood in two lines, grabbed two ropes that were tied to a metal door and pulled.
The 9-foot-tall metal door smashed to the ground to signify the beginning of demolition at the Loma Verde Recreational Center in Chula Vista.
The city will spend $12.8 million replacing the 40-year-old rec center with a larger, modern facility.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
“It’s sad, but it’s also really awesome that this community is finally going to get a new center,” said Sandy Chavez, who went to the Loma Verde Rec Center when it first opened. “We thought it was state-of-the-art. We were like, ‘Oh, my God, check out this rec center. Check out this pool.’ ”
“There’s a lot of sentimental value,” agreed Chula Vista City Manager Maria Kachadoorian.
Kachadoorian said the city raised the funds for demolition and construction through Measure P, a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016. The money was earmarked for improvements like a new Loma Verde Rec Center.
“The recession and the challenges we had as a city — we weren’t really able to address some of those challenges,” explained Kachadoorian.
“I’m so glad that [Measure P] passed, because I’ve seen a lot of changes,” agreed Chavez.
The first two phases will include demolition and construction of a new community center, which should be completed by the end of 2022. Phase 3 will begin shortly thereafter and will include getting rid of the old pool and building two new pools with a splash-pad play area for families.
Local
“When I heard it was going down, I was kind of sad but now I’m really excited,” concluded Chavez.
