Town officials, philanthropists and members of the Colonie Youth Center gathered for the unveiling of the Rudy A. Ciccotti Family Recreational Center on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
The center was completed on time and a half million under budget.
In life, there are things well worth living for. Look around you, said Gerry Murphy president of the Colonie Youth Center Foundation, the organization charged with raising the necessary funds to build the center off of Wolf Road and adjacent to The Crossings park.
The Ciccotti center will prove to be a legacy to the Colonie community, he said.
`We were offered that opportunity, and we seized it,` he said.
The project came in at $11.8 million.
The 70,353-square-foot facility is designed to serve all ages from toddlers to seniors.
One of the goals of the project was to utilize as many uses as possible out of the facility, much like a YMCA. A survey conducted in the late 1990s outlined the need for such amenities after the town was repeatedly passed over for its own YMCA.
They opted to go bigger and better than a YMCA and offer an indoor water park unlike any other in the area.
`I’m totally amazed with what I am looking at on this day. The pool is second to none and I’m waiting for the day when I can come in and see children init,` said Rudy Ciccotti, who contributed significant finances to the construction and development of the center.
After staff training through Dec. 29 and 30, the center will open to the public at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan 2.
Providing a place for children to enjoy themselves was the reason Ciccotti became involved in the first place, he said.
The center will offer swimming lessons, life guard training, water aerobics, yoga, Pilates, lacrosse, computer classes, first aid classes, stroller fitness and volley ball classes.
The center features two full gymnasiums, a 1/8 mile elevated walking/running track, a fitness center, and community rooms with kitchen.
The gem of the center is a multifaceted aquatic complex that features a four-lane lap pool/wave pool with a moveable floor that drops from zero to six feet. There is a lazy river, fountains and zero-depth wet areas for kids. At the center of the attraction will be a multicolored, and multi-loop 20-foot slide.
Brian Hogan, executive director of the Colonie Youth Center personally tested the slide the night before the ribbon cutting. The Ciccotti center is owned and operated by the Youth Center, a nonprofit organization.
`The Rudy A. Ciccotti Family Recreational Center is wonderful addition to our great town,` said Elizabeth DelTorto president of the Colonie Youth Center board of directors in a written statement. `This state of the art facility will provide families, seniors and individuals with a safe and convenient place to refresh their mind and body through one of the most comprehensive family fitness facilities in the Northeast.`
The center will be open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. The Ciccotti center is located off of 30 Aviation Road. For information, call 436-9596 or visit www.colonieyouthcenter.org.“
