Eastway Recreation Center Opens as First Multi-Use Regional Center

After more than 4 years of planning and construction, Mecklenburg County’s first-of-its-kind multi-use regional recreation center is open at Eastway Park. The brand new Eastway Recreation Center opened April 7, and includes a full fitness area; gyms for pickleball, basketball, and indoor soccer; recreation and training pools; and community, nature, and technology areas for youth and seniors.

“It’s changing the face of public recreation in Mecklenburg County,” says Eastway Recreation Manager Daniel Leatherman, who joined the Eastway team in its final phase of design and construction. “It’s a one stop shop of everything Park and Rec has to offer.”

The recreation center sits on 95-acre Eastway Park off Eastway Drive in east Charlotte. The large park also includes soccer fields, wetlands observations areas, and will connect via trail to Briarwood Park. A playground area for children will replace one that was moved to accommodate the new building. The inside color palette reflects the diversity of the eastside neighborhoods, weaving oranges and aquas with a multitude of other colors, where modern touches enhance the reflection of the community’s cultural roots.

The COVID-safe soft opening has been a long time in the making: neighborhood input meetings began as far back as Spring 2017, and involved reaching out to community groups, churches, and neighborhood associations to hear what they wanted and needed. Leatherman says every investment of time and energy is worth it now.

“The first week is going well — there is a lot of interest in the facility, and a lot of tours,” he says. “Everyone is remarking about how large, how beautiful, and how diverse it is. This is the facility they designed, and we’re so delighted they’re able to come in and enjoy it.” The new center is already averaging 100 visitors a day in just its first week.

Leatherman took Partners for Parks on a tour of the new 95,000 square foot facility, the first of four planned for Mecklenburg County. Here are highlights under one roof:

Community Areas:

These are rooms for community meetings and other activities non-passholders from the community can take part in.

Event Hall – A large room that can be subdivided as needed, it will be primarily a space for Senior programming and wellness activities during the day, and available for rent to groups on nights and weekends. A kitchen equipped with a stove and overhead camera  and TV screen will allow for cooking demonstrations. A roll-up “garage door” opens to accommodate larger crowds.

Tech Lab – A place you can sit a spell and work on your electronic device while sipping a cup of coffee. Limited laptops will be available for checkout, for use at the center, and a soundproof booth allows you to record music, poetry, or a podcast undisturbed. The room also features a roll-up door overlooking the Rec Center’s lobby for an inviting place to rest and work, and will eventually offer coding classes from the center’s technology partners.

Children’s Area – Eastway won’t have a preschool per se, but it will have programs and events for kids and homeschool students. The colorful room equipped with miniature tables and chairs of our youth will also offer drop-in childcare for members who need an hour to work out or use the center’s other amenities.

Nature Center – Rotating exhibits will give kids a mini-museum-quality science education. Easy-to-use microscopes on site will allow them to check out nature trail finds to the tiniest detail.

Multi-use Room – The large, subdividable room with slick tables and patterned floors has large windows and doors to the outside for a greener view during your community meeting.

Outdoor Events – Large events like concerts, festivals, and community fairs will join soccer, baseball, and flag football on the many outdoor fields. Eastway also promotes inclusion and therapeutic recreation with accessible spaces and activities.

Member Areas:

These areas are open to MeckPass or one-time daily pass members. A MeckPass is a facilities membership that can be purchased on site or online, and allows use of all Mecklenburg County recreational facilities. Some features require reservations, which are available by phone, on site, or online.

MeckPass: https://apm.activecommunities.com/mecklenburgparks/Membership

Reservations: https://apm.activecommunities.com/mecklenburgparks/Reserve_Options

Weight Room (Downstairs) – Free weights galore, and machines to lift them with. “If you drop it and it goes ‘boom,’” says Leatherman, “it goes here.” That’s the best description we could find for this gym, and we’re sticking with it!

Fitness Machines (Upstairs) – The electronic treadmills, stair-steppers, and cardio machines that are quieter by design. This area overlooks several scenes below, including the gymnasium courts.

Track – Nine laps make a mile, so plan accordingly on this cushioned track that surrounds the upper deck and fitness machines. Large, colorful murals and games on the courts below keep your interest and you walk and run your indoor miles.

Fitness Studios – Right now these four large, mirrored rooms off the track accommodate extra fitness equipment to maintain social distance, but will eventually be home to yoga, Silver Sneakers, spin, and circuit training classes. You’ll want to book something in the corner studio with the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the soccer fields and natural areas outside.

Multi-purpose Courts – Park & Recreation got creative with its court setup, putting something for everyone in this space. On one side of the gym, a traditional wooden hard court accommodates basketball for both long and half-court games. The second court is a mat court surrounded by plexiglas and netting, for soccer, kickball, futsal (like indoor soccer), and camp activities.

“Mat holds up better to wear and tear,” says Leatherman, “and the netting will hold in stray balls.” He’s especially excited about the indoor soccer court. “Soccer is huge on the east side, so that will serve our community well.” Both courts are marked for full and half basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and badminton.

Aquatic Center – Did we mention it has a pool? In fact, it’s got TWO! Eastway Recreation Center introduces the first public pool to the east side of Charlotte, and the first competition pool to Mecklenburg County in more than 25 years. The 8-lane, 25-yard pool will host aquatic exercise classes, lessons, lap swim, and eventually a junior swim team in the Hornets Nest League. For aquatic sports lovers, this is a BIG DEAL, since 4 of Mecklenburg County’s 5 current aquatic facilities are located within a mile of each other in Uptown, while the 5th is a few miles away in the SouthPark area.

“I am overjoyed,” says Kira Cullen, Aquatics Supervisor, who brings years of competitive swimming and facilities management experience to her new role. “I’m ecstatic about the swim team and getting families in here, learning to swim, and giving them opportunities they haven’t had in this area.”

A separate multi-purpose pool gives kids of all ages a fun place to play with zero-entry area, lazy river, and super slide. The sound of fountains and colorful water spouts create the indoor-pool ambiance for any water lover’s dream. A party room off the pool is perfect for birthdays with cake and ice cream and lots of splashing fun.

“Public access to water in Mecklenburg County is so important,” responds Leatherman. “One, this provides equity and access, but also a potentially life saving skill we want everyone to have access to and learn.” Dozens of neighborhood pools dot our community, along with lakes, rivers, creeks, and ponds, and Leatherman points out the potential risk of water-related tragedies.

“Putting these water amenities in parts of town that don’t have access is huge for us,” he adds. “We know there’s a huge demand for water. We want to provide water safety for youth and adults. An important thing for us is to teach people how to be safer on water.” Leatherman and Cullen are fitting the pieces of the water schedule puzzle together, and says high school swimmers will also likely get time. “We don’t want to eliminate any potential users,” he says. Currently, all CMS high schools share 2 pools.

Sound like fun? Here’s even better news: the Eastway Recreation Center is the first of four multi-purpose centers planned for Mecklenburg County. The Northern Regional Recreation Center is galloping along on its construction schedule, with bricked exterior walls already in place. Leatherman is happy to be welcoming patrons to the first.

“To have people inside the building and enjoying it now is an incredible feeling,” he says. “We’re ramping up and are headed full speed into summer.”