Rec center scores funding

A recreation center planned for Jackson Square has scored nearly $6 million in state funding, putting the community dream closer to reality.

The state in 2008 approved the idea of issuing $5.69 million in bonds to help fund the Jackson Square Recreation Center. But just recently, it authorized actually issuing those bonds, according to center developer Urban Edge. The rec center is expected to cost $12 million to $15 million.

“It’s huge for the project,” said Urban Edge President and CEO Chrystal Kornegay. “It’s a big win for the community.”

The developers still have to raise the rest of the funds, and there is no exact construction timeline, though Urban Edge previously aimed for a 2012 start. But having the state funding in place will make the rest of the fund-raising easier, Kornegay said. That essentially ensures that the center will be built.

The multi-use rec center is planned to include a permanent, full-size version of the Kelly ice-skating rink, which is now on Marbury Terrace. The center would be built at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Ritchie Street.

The center is just one part of a massive redevelopment of vacant public land in Jackson Square being done by a team that includes Urban Edge along with the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation and Mitchell Properties.

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