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Gulian Blanton of Nicholasville, right, drove to the basket during a rec-league game Tuesday night in the Coolidge Building. (Photo by Jonathan Kleppinger/jkleppinger@jessaminejournal.com / February 5, 2013) |
A staple of the Nicholasville-Jessamine County Parks and Recreation Department has been its sports programs.
And for many years, its youth and adult basketball programs have called Nicholasville Elementary home. But because of renovations at NES, parks and recreation has turned to the community’s past to continue its hoops programs as the Coolidge Building, located next to the school system’s bus garage on Maple Street, is home to the recreation leagues.
“We worked with the school board to access the Coolidge Building, and they were instrumental in getting it cleaned out and getting the floor ready, and we’re playing games there now,” said NJCPR office manager Serita Taylor. “Our first game was Jan. 5.”
Taylor said youth games are played every Saturday and Sunday while adult-league games are played on Tuesday and Sunday nights.
Taylor said the switch to the Coolidge Building has been seamless, and she hopes parks and recreation can use the facility long term.
“We’re in negotiations with the school board to either lease or purchase the building,” Taylor said.
The Coolidge Building will also enable parks and rec to offer basketball year-round and other indoor sports such as volleyball because it won’t have to work around another school’s schedule.
“Right now, we don’t have anything other than working with the school system, and, of course, they’re using their gyms a lot for their school athletics,” Taylor said.
Taylor said for years, the school system used the Coolidge Building for storage, but once the NES renovations began, the board of eduction worked with parks and rec to get the facility in shape.
“They were using the gym for storage and they had to remove all of that, and they put a couple coats of polyurethane on the floor and cleaned it up,” Taylor said. “Parks and rec has purchased a new scoreboard that we’ve installed there.”
The stage area is also beneficial because of the space it affords the cheerleading teams.
“The stage area is a big open space where cheerleading teams can practice, which is helpful to us to have it available so our teams can practice,” Taylor said.
NJCPR has 30 youth basketball teams, six cheerleading teams and 14 adult-league basketball teams that participate in the Coolidge Building.
