Input on the design of a long-awaited teen center that will be built on the south side of Santa Fe are being reviewed by the city, with the hope of work beginning on the facility by the end of this year.
City officials have long wanted to see a new recreation center built in a part of Santa Fe that has seen a growing population in recent years, much of it made up of lower-income young people.
This spring, members of the New Mexico State Legislature voted in favor of a nearly $4 million capital outlay that was later approved by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for the facility’s construction.
As currently proposed, the 17,000 square-foot, three-story center, which is being designed by the Albuquerque-based architectural firm of Wilson and Company, will include gym space, an auditorium, a game room, and several multipurpose rooms.
The exterior of the building will see the creation of a small courtyard and rear basketball court, as well as a parking lot.
If all goes as planned, the center is expected to open its doors in late 2022.
By Garry Boulard
