OUR VIEW: Enjoy the Stipe Center | Opinion

Our neighborhood can appreciate a number of free activities at a regional leisure centre.

The J.I. Stipe Centre offers a gymnasium made use of for basketball, volleyball, and a activity fast expanding in popularity nationwide — pickleball.

There is no charge for seniors to take part in the each day pursuits at exercise routines — in addition, it is open at different time all through the week for “no matter what you want to do,” McAlester Local community Products and services Director Doug Basinger informed us.

“Everything we do below is no cost,” Basinger claimed. “We don’t cost anything.”

The Stipe Middle was very first crafted in the 1970s as the Multi-Goal Centre of McAlester before currently being named soon after Jacob Irvin Stipe, the father of the late previous Oklahoma Condition Sen. Gene Stipe.

Today, the facility presents leisure actions and circuit teaching with neighborhood health instructor Zella Kincaid.

A room over the basketball court has drugs balls, dumbbells, and punching baggage for the study course — and Kincaid posts films through the week on how to effectively total each and every work out station.

She is also a grasp Taekwondo teacher and presents absolutely free courses for grownups 18 and more mature at the heart on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 p.m. with hopes of providing a small children course in the future.

The Stipe Middle reopened in May well its senior middle for in-individual things to do, which incorporates a cost-free sizzling lunch for region seniors 60 and more mature and a location for seniors to meet up with.

The center opens at 8 a.m. for seniors Monday by way of Friday except for city vacations.

Lunch is served for the seniors at 11:30 a.m. every day the center is open up and serves around 4,000 seniors every single thirty day period.

The middle also functions a totally free exercise system for seniors on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 to 11 a.m.

Any one who would like to host birthday get-togethers, relatives gatherings or totally free community functions can do so.

The internet site can also be rented for other actions. To hire the meeting home inside the center, it is $50 for three several hours, $65 for four hours, and one more $10 for at any time hour soon after that.

The health and fitness center is $50 an hour and $300 for all working day.

Basinger said the prices have to be compensated in progress.

We applaud town staff and employees working the J.I. Stipe Center for the reason that it is an essential component of our neighborhood.

Extra information and facts is obtainable by contacting the business office at 918-421-4922 and a scheduled of situations is readily available on the McAlester Parks and Recreation Facebook page.