Demolition set to begin on Community Center

The Ken Baxter Community Center is scheduled for demolition beginning May 10 and the center is planned to reopen next year in what is currently the Marysville Municipal Court building.

The city of Marysville is constructing a new Civic Center near Comeford Park that will include the city’s new city hall, public works office, police station and jail.

As part of that work the area in front of the Civic Center is being turned into a new public plaza.

The Ken Baxter Community Center served as a senior center, a meeting place for public classes and a facility for events.

Current classes at the center are moving to take place at the Rotary Ranch and Barn at Jennings Park, the Marysville Opera House and other locations.

City of Marysville Parks, Culture and Recreation staff run the Ken Baxter Community Center.

“They have been involved in the process for finding a new location for the senior center,” said Connie Mennie, communications administrator with the city of Marysville.

The new location selected was the Marysville Municipal Court building at 1015 State Ave., Marysville.

“We believe it will work well,” she said.

The city is not planning extensive renovations for the court building, but are planning to make some adaptations.

“It’s a fairly modern building and is an accessible space,” said Mennie.

The courtrooms are large spaces that can be adapted into classrooms as part of the plan and there is more parking than at the current senior center, she said.

The community center is scheduled to move into the court building after the Civic Center opens in the spring of 2022.

Work is currently happening on Delta Avenue to make the public plaza between Comeford Park and the new Civic Center.

“Delta Avenue will still be a road that cars can come down, although it will be really light traffic, not really a thoroughfare,” said Mennie.

The road will be designed so barriers can easily be put up to close vehicle access if there is an event going on, she said.

The current plan includes additional green space being installed, as well as pathways for pedestrians.

“The walkways will allow you to go from the park directly to the Civic Center,” said Mennie.

As part of the plaza there will be some space set aside permanently for some memorial items.

City officials plan to move the Sept. 11 memorial currently at the Marysville Library in front of the Civic Center and there is a space for the city’s Christmas tree as well.

“The space was always a public space and it will remain so,” said Mennie.

“It will be more welcoming and be able to accommodate a bit more people,” she said.

The plaza is scheduled to be ready in the spring of 2022 when the Civic Center is ready to open.