Push to Expand Plymouth Creek Center
The Plymouth Creek Center is a busy place, with more than 20 activities scheduled there every day. There are senior card games and art shows. People flock to the Fieldhouse to walk or jog around the indoor track on cold, wintry days. Sometimes people can attend a play in the black box theater.
But you might be surprised to learn about the variety of corporate and regional events that are scheduled there too.
“We have a softball game going on with the girls college team,” explained Diane Evans, Plymouth’s Parks and Recreation Director. On the afternoon of our scheduled interview, the University of Minnesota Morris and North Central played one of several scheduled games of the season there.
Sometimes the schedule of events at the Plymouth Creek Center gets crowded. Staff say when games are scheduled for the Fieldhouse, often staff members hear complaints from people who can’t access the same space to walk or exercise.
The needs for the space have also changed in the last 20 years.
“The Plymouth Creek Center was built originally to house classroom activities,” explains Evans. “We’re seeing now that people are wanting to be more active. Instead of playing cards, they want to be running around in spaces.”
Plus, the facility is showing its age.
What’s next?
“The Plymouth Creek Center is a facility that is used regionally and we need to do some major renovations in order to accommodate the growing needs of our center,” says Rep. Ginny Klevorn, DFL-Plymouth. “We can do the Plymouth share for $15 million and we can ask the state to do the other regional part for the other $15 million.”
Klevorn authored a bill in the house for bonding dollars to help fund a renovation and expansion.
“There are many regional facilities that need those bonding dollars,” says Klevorn. “But Plymouth hasn’t had a lot of bonding in the last 10 years, so I feel confident that we’ll be able to have it through the House.”
Sen. Paul Anderson (R-Plymouth) is sponsoring the bill in the Senate.
Want to weigh in on what the renovations of the Plymouth Creek Center could look like? You can read about plans, studies and future open houses on a City of Plymouth webpage that is dedicated to the project.
