It's Open - Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center

On Saturday the City of Fairfax officially opened the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center. The facility is a true community center with a tip of the hat to the arts. Featuring a rehersal space, performance area, art room, activity room, a warming kitchen and walls adorned by art work, this is a place that will certainly be the home to many, many memories.

This building wouldn't have been constructed without the selfless generosity of Geraldine Sherwood, the wife of Stacy C. Sherwood, who made a $5 million donation to make the dream of a community center become reality. It was so thrilling to see her and her family on Saturday taking a tour of building that not only bears her husband and family's name, but also embodies the civic pride that Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood shared in their contributions to the City of Fairfax and our region.

Part of the agreement between Mrs. Sherwood and the City stipulated that the center had to be built by March 31, 2011. Given that the agreement was only signed in December 2007 that was a tall order for anyone when you consider all of the planning and community input that was needed.

But we got it done and much of the credit goes to the steadfast determination of City Manager Bob Sisson; our Parks and Recreation Director Mike McCarty and his staff; the Chairs of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Joe Harmon and Brian Knapp; the members of PRAB; the Commission on the Arts; FPYC; and the community for all contributing to this wonderful facility. From the location to the layout, citizens provided input and leadership, which makes this community center one that truly was built by the community.

Over the weeks and months, we will all be "kicking the tires," as they say, and learning by trial and error what works and what doesn't. That's to be expected and I encourage residents to be patient as we work out some of the kinks, but also to provide feedback and input. That said, I understand that many of the classes scheduled for February and March are near capacity and that we've already booked ten weddings, which is just fantastic.

Congratulations to all for making this happen.

More about the community center, its construction and how to become involved in the Legacy for Fairfax program can be found here.