New Clarence R. Kelly Community Center set to officially open

The newly reconstructed Clarence R. Kelly Community Center in the Duval community in northeast Gainesville will officially be opened during a ceremony that will celebrate the past and future of the community it serves.

Paid for with nearly $2.3 million from the Wild Spaces Public Places tax. the city of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and cultural Affairs Department announced that the construction of the center and its park is near completion.

The event to celebrate the opening of the new center and park will take place from 3-5 p.m. June 19 at 1701 NE Eighth Ave. and will serve as the finale to the city of Gainesville's month-long "Journey to Juneteenth" celebration commemorating when some Blacks in Florida and Texas found out in 1865 that they were no longer slaves more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves.

The center is named for Clarence R. Kelly, who died in February 2011 at age 56. About a year before his death, Kelly retired from his position as director of the Northeast Recreation Center, following 35 years serving as a father figure and friend to thousands of children who entered the center's doors.

The center, which used to be commonly called the "Blue Center" for its distinctive paint before its reconstruction, was renamed for Kelly in 2012. His widow, Charlene Kelly, said her late husband envisioned his name would one day be on the building and that a new building housing the center would be built.

"That's what we've been waiting for," Charlene Kelly said. "He always used to say, 'I may not be here but it will happen.' This is great. We needed this. What we got to do is utilize the building and take care of it. The neighborhood has to take care of it."

She is a retired educator from Duval Early Learning Academy that's located just blocks from the center and she remembers meeting late husband during a summer program hosted by the city.

"He is truly missed," she said. "Nobody can replace him. We want to continue his ideas. He was always there for the kids and trying to keep them off the streets by creating programs for them."

Elizabeth "Betsy" Waite, director of Wild Spaces Public Places, described the new center center.

"It is absolutely gorgeous," Waite said. "People will love the new updates."

The 3,800 square-foot facility will come with event spaces for receptions and large gatherings, computer lab, activity room and additional rooms for co-working spaces.

There will also be a history showcase that will highlight the legacy of Clarence R Kelly, and there will be a silhouette of him and a biography on who he was.

"It is a nice tribute to Kelly," Waite said.

There will also be a basketball court, adult fitness equipment,  new playground and a community garden.

The site of the center once housed a grocery store before being converted into the Northeast Recreation Center in 1977.

The speakers during the grand opening celebration will be District 1 Gainesville City Commissioner Desmond Duncan Walker; Charlene Kelly, Carla Lewis; Ernestine Butler and others.

There will also be an unveiling of the Clarence R. Kelly sign, a live band, refreshments, tour of the building and games for children.

"This project has been five years in the making from community plans on renovation to construction," Waite said. "This is transformative for the Duval community and is a catalyst for the changes in the community. We love Kelly and the contributions he gave to the community."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: New Clarence R. Kelly Community Center set to officially open