A decade after it was first discussed, renovations to the Lenexa Old Town Activity Center will be complete as the city holds a grand opening ceremony Tuesday evening.
The city will unveil the new Lenexa Old Town Activity Center, showcasing new additions, including an outdoor recreation area, new activity rooms and improvements to its gymnasium.
Construction began on the approximately $12.15 million project in February 2024, involving the demolition of the old Lenexa Senior Center and the relocation of all activities to the new center, creating space for the new outdoor recreation area.
It also involved renaming the center, previously known as the Lenexa Community Center, to the Lenexa Old Town Activity Center.
“To build a facility that’s going to be truly multi-generational is not always easy. And I think with the help of the architects and community input … I think it has really come to life,” said Logan Wagler, Lenexa’s parks and recreation director.
Funding for the project came from Lenexa’s Capital Improvement Fund, federal grants and Lenexa’s 3/8-cent sales tax.
Renovation includes some big changes
Some of the changes to the activity center include:
- A new east wing, dubbed the Haskins wing, where all activities for people 50 and older, take place
- A complete renovation of the west side of the building, including the addition of a 1,300-square-foot room for increased programming capacity like classes and day camps
- Accessibility improvements throughout the facility
- Updated restrooms and locker rooms
- Replacement of the building’s aging façade with modern updates
- A 900-square-foot mural that celebrates Lenexa by artist Evan Brown, also know as “Doodle Dood,” wrapping around part of the building.
A big focus on the interior of the activity center was making the spaces brighter with bigger windows and more natural light.
“It was like a dungeon before. There were hardly any windows or natural light. It was just an old building,” Wagler said.
Outdoor area includes pickleball, basektball courts
The goal of the project was to modernize the center, formerly known as the Lenexa Community Center, which opened in 1981, Wagler said.
The project ultimately added more than 23,000 square feet of renovated and newly-constructed space.
One of its biggest additions will be an outdoor recreation area, which includes four pickleball courts, a turf area for open play and fitness, shuffleboard and basketball courts, and a shaded porch.
“The whole idea is to just kind of create a space where people or families can come and hang out, jump in (to a game) when you want to or just hang out and work,” Wagler said.
The new center is two buildings in one
In order to create the expanded outdoor spaces, the city had to tear down the old senior center and move all of its activities to the new Haskins wing.
The transition for senior center patrons has been surprisingly smooth, Wagler said, with the Haskins wing already in use as construction on the rest of the center finishes up.
“Early, when we started talking about it, there were a lot of concerns. It was a big change. It’s hard for everybody to understand when they see it on paper,” he said. “Once this started coming together, being shaped and actually constructed, and they could come in and actually tour the space, the seniors just really got excited.”
The Haskins wing features rooms where older adults can do community activities, like play card games. It has its own entrance and exit, allowing them to park closer to the facility.
One of the focuses of renovating the building was making it more compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and easier for older adults to navigate, Wagler said.
“It’s a better space, it’s more efficient, it’s more effective, there’s better technology,” Wagler said.
Project has been in the works for a decade
Talks first started on the project in 2015, when public input was published in the study “A New Look at Old Town Lenexa.”
Discussions continued in 2018, when it was made clear the facility needed improvements for both accessibility and efficiency.
The Lenexa City Council decided to combine the 20,000-square-foot community center, which was built in 1981, with the senior center, which was built in the mid-1970s and once operated as Lenexa City Hall.
In 2019, the budget for the project was estimated to be $6.1 million. After enduring setbacks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as adding new features to the project, the cost almost doubled to a final price tag of $12.2 million.
Wagler said the price is worth it to create a facility that will draw in future generations of patrons and improve and enhance the experience for those who have gone to the center for years.
“It’s where strangers become neighbors and neighbors become friends,” Wagler said. “You’re going to meet other people from the community. You’re going to join them in some sort of activity, whether that’s social or active recreation, and you’re going to build friendships.”
“For us to make this kind of investment in (residents’) quality of life and continue reinvesting in Old Town is really special. So it feels amazing to be at the end of this,” he added.
Admission to the activity center requires a drop-in pass or a punch card. For a list of prices for admission, visit this link.
Here are more images of the new Lenexa Old Town Activity Center:
Go deeper: Lenexa Old Town Activity Center project ready to start
