FORMER WAREHOUSE RENOVATED FOR SPORTS CITY-OWNED BUILDING USED FOR BASKETBALL PROGRAM.Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - To accommodate a record number of participants in the city's youth basketball program this winter, city officials sought a slam-dunk solution - one they needed quickly. They ended up scoring a newly vacated warehouse right next door to the Santa Clarita Sports Complex. The cement-floor warehouse, previously used for antique car An antique car is generally defined as a car over 25 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America and many other organizations worldwide. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. storage, underwent renovations in less than three weeks to accommodate two basketball courts and wrestling mats Noun 1. wrestling mat - a mat on which wrestling matches are conducted gym mat, mat - sports equipment consisting of a piece of thick padding on the floor for gymnastic sports in time for the city Parks and Recreation Department's winter program. The program began Jan. 8, with about 2,200 basketball players signed up for the season, city officials said. Because of the record number of registrations this season, the two courts inside the main Sports Complex gymnasium would not have allowed all teams enough practice time, said Recreation Superintendent Debby Rolland. The facility located at 26405 Golden Valley Road is one of three buildings the city bought several years ago with intent to incorporate them in the Santa Clarita Sports Complex. This site has been considered for a future aquatic center and multipurpose mul·ti·pur·pose adj. Designed or used for several purposes: a multipurpose room; multipurpose software. multipurpose Adjective facility. So far, the city has converted one of the three industrial buildings into a gymnasium, complete with two basketball courts, racquetball racquetball, sport played indoors by two or four players, combining elements of court handball and such racket games as squash racquets. It is played on a standard handball court 40 ft (12.2 m) long, 20 ft (6. courts, locker and shower areas, and the outdoor area into the Santa Clarita Skatepark A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment for skateboarders, bmxers and aggressive skaters to ride and develop their sport and technique. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, handrails, trick boxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, stairs, . A second building on the site, now a temporary homeless shelter Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people. Usually located in urban neighborhoods, they are similar to emergency shelters. The primary difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. , is intended for multipurpose community and recreation rooms, city officials say. The newly renovated warehouse will accommodate 360 children on league basketball teams, who were in desperate need of court space on which to practice on weekdays and compete Saturday mornings. Wrestling matches previously held at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. will be scheduled around the basketball schedules, Rolland said. Just three weeks ago, City Manager George Caravalho identified the city-owned warehouse next door to the Sports Complex as one possible solution, said city spokeswoman Gail Ortiz. ``It really knocked my socks off,'' Rolland said. ``The city pulled this project together and turned this around in no time.'' After finding no environmental or structural hazards, the city installed fire and electrical safety features to meet public building codes, then gave the inside walls a fresh coat of paint, Rolland said. Until it is converted into an aquatic center, the renovated warehouse will be used for various year-round recreation programs, Rolland said. Total costs for the renovations have not been calculated yet, she said. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: League basketball teams play in the converted warehouse. John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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