Burton Street Recreation Center is a community hub

Posted on by Jason Sandford

If you want a slice of life in and around Burton Street, stop by the Burton Street Recreation Center.

Click the image above to view a slideshow by Jason Sandford.

The center houses a kitchen, meeting space and play rooms for children. It serves as space for an after-school recreation program and programs for older residents, and plays host to neighborhood-association meetings and holiday programs.

A $215,000 project to renovate the 1920s-era building which was once the Burton Street Elementary School was completed last December. The money came in the form of $155,000 in tax dollars through the federal Community Development Block Grant program, plus $60,000 in taxpayers’ dollars from the city of Asheville. The renovation completed work that started in 2001 with a $50,000 N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust fund grant that paid for improvements to the building’s exterior, including a new playground, fence, benches and signs.

The neighborhood has been at the center of debate about which path the proposed Interstate 26 Connector should take through the Asheville. But residents put aside worries about the project and simply enjoyed some music, food and each other during a recent community celebration. Click on the slideshow to check out the party.

— Jason Sandford, multimedia editor

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