Grand opening of new North Center is May 16

JCC Suncoast Administrator Vivienne MacDonald checks out the new library at the North Center. The JCC Suncoast is inviting members of the Jewish community to visit its new north county facility, find their niche and have some fun.

The grand opening is slated for Sunday, May 16, from 1- 3:30 p.m., at which time the community can view the new facility, meet the staff and instructors, sample several demo classes and learn about programs available. Of course there will be food as well — kosher noshes from local vendors.

The JCC Suncoast North Center, formerly known as the Golda Meir/Kent Jewish Center, is now located at 2075 Sunnydale Blvd., off Belcher Road and one block southwest of Sunset Point Road. It is expected the leased building will be the temporary home for the north branch of the JCC for about three years.

“It’s a place where all Jews can come and have fun,” said Todd Malberg, Community Outreach Director. “It’s a Jewish bond without the religious rituals.”

The JCC Suncoast has rentsed this 6,000-square-foot building at 2075 Sunnydale Blvd. The new 6,000-square-foot facility contains space for multiple activities. Included are a new fitness center with free weights and workout machines, conference rooms, a library, a professional dance floor, an arts and crafts room and a kid’s corner.

The new facility and its programming is the result of several months of community input about what community members wanted, and the JCC seeking input from area synagogues to avoid duplication of services.

Even before the grand opening, many programs are in full swing while more are scheduled for the weeks ahead.

“I love the new place,” said Vivienne MacDonald, administrator for both the north and south campuses. “It’s a bright, cheery location.”

Malberg stressed the overall connection between the JCC North Center and the people it will serve.

“The center’s focus,” said Malberg, “is on re-establishing ourselves with the Jewish community and reaching out to the children.”

The north branch currently serves about 100 people on a regular basis, offering an array of ongoing classes, including line dancing, yoga, beginning guitar and low impact aerobics. Members and non-members may attend all classes. Fees for both groups vary according to the class.

Apart from their regular programming, the new branch is being used by two Girl Scout troops and a digital photography class, for which the instructor is charged a flat monthly use fee.

Several new programs are slated to begin at the end of April. Among them are positive parenting, family self-defense, and using energy in a greener, more economical way.

“We’ve leased this place for three years,” said MacDonald, “but that time can be extended.”

The facility was chosen for a number of reasons, she said, including the convenient location and the size.

MacDonald said the JCC still has plans to return some type of operation to its old location, two miles north at the corner of Greenbriar Boulevard and Virginia Street.

The property, which was the former home of the Golda Meir/Kent Center, was sold to Menorah Manor for construction of the Inn on the Pond, an assisted living facility. A provision was made for the JCC to lease a portion of the site, that may ultimately be used for JCC purposes, and share some programming At this time the Inn on the Pond remains “under development.”

“We don’t know exactly when we will go back,” MacDonald said, “but we want to have offices there and run some kind of senior programming.”

A gym for fitness workouts awaits. The new JCC Suncoast North facility is part of the continuing metamorphosis of the former Golda Meir/Kent Center.

Along with selling its property, the center decided to merge with the St. Petersburg area, JCC of Pinellas County to form the new entity called JCC Suncoast. The JCC Suncoast South Center is located at 5023 Central Ave., St. Petersburg.

The JCC hopes the new North Center will spur growth in membership and overall number of people served, said MacDonald.

For information on the fees and schedule of classes, call the JCC Suncoast North at 736-1494. Visit the JCC website at gmkjc.org.
Participants in a weekly line dance class.