DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit's far east side is getting its first indoor recreation center in over 15 years with the opening of the Chandler Park Dome at Chandler Park in the coming weeks.
The multimillion-dollar facility, funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, features an indoor field, basketball courts, volleyball and pickleball areas, locker rooms, showers, and spaces for community programs and events.
"We started this project in 2024, and it was an opportunity for us to return indoor recreation spaces to this area," LaJuan Counts, Group Executive of Construction and Building Operations, said.
City officials chose a dome structure to expedite construction, allowing the facility to open much sooner than a traditional building would have permitted.
"The dome allowed us to turn this property back over this year. As opposed to a hard structure of this size, we would probably just be closing it in right about this time," Counts said.
For District 4 residents, the facility ends a long wait for recreational resources.
"It's been about 16 years since we've had a full-fledged rec center in the district," Latisha Johnson, District 4 city council member, said.
Johnson hopes the center will provide safe activities for young people, especially during out-of-school time.
"This summer, we've seen a lot of unfortunate incidents happening throughout the district with our young people," Johnson said.
She says one of those incidents took the lives of an 18-year-old and a 4-year-old at the very beginning of the summer.
"We're now putting a keen focus on how we in the city are providing support to our youth, programs for our youth, so that it's centrally located and that transportation to and from the facility," said Johnson.
The facility transforms what was previously an outdoor space into a year-round community resource.
"For me, to be able to have those memories of when I was little, when I was younger, growing up, just playing in Detroit, and now having a dome where we can play year-round," said Denaja King, a Detroit resident.
Community members expressed enthusiasm about having a new recreational hub in their neighborhood.
"Something for the kids to do, so they don't have to be home bored or anything," Jeanetta Taylor, a Detroit resident, said.
Both city leaders and community members agree the dome is expected to provide lasting benefits for the east side community.
"Now having a dome here, where we have more access to resources, like wellness and fitness, is going to be very beneficial for generations to come," Lex Allen, a Detroit resident, said.
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