SPORTS CENTER SHOULD OPEN BY SEPTEMBER.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

The Santa Clarita Sports Complex, with basketball courts, racquetball courts, a skate park and locker rooms, has begun to take shape in preparation for a September opening.

El Nino storms delayed construction, but now that it looks as if summer is here, work on the city's first gymnasium should run smoothly, project manager Curtis Nay said.

``The framing is done, the electrical is done,'' Nay said. ``It's going to be first-class. It will have air conditioning and a tournament-style racquetball court. There will be an all-glass wall and bleachers.''

The Sports Complex is on 20 acres off Golden Valley Road, a site previously owned by the Merle Norman cosmetics company. The site property includes three warehouses, one of which is being converted into the new gym. The city bought the property in October for $3.08 million, and the gym construction is estimated at $1.2 million.

The 21,600-square-foot complex will include two basketball courts, four racquetball courts with wood floors, a lobby area and locker rooms.

Staff members' excitement about the new complex also extends to the much-anticipated skate park. That project is scheduled to be complete about the same time as the gym, and the City Council is expected to vote on a construction bid for $142,000 later this month, city project manager Bob Nelson said.

``Hopefully it will get approved so we can get this puppy going,'' Nelson said. ``I'm excited about it. My son skates and I do also. I just have to make sure not to break my neck.''

The 11,000-square-foot skate park will sit behind the gym in an area that allows for expansion but also leaves much of the site available for future projects, Nelson said. City officials have mentioned adding an Olympic-sized pool at the location.

``There's plenty of space to expand and it doesn't impede on the site,'' Nelson said.

The skate park will have two tiers, Nelson said. The upper tier will be more advanced, and the lower tier will be designed for beginning and intermediate skaters, he said.

About 40 area skaters helped design the park, which will have rails, dips, ramps and other features. Safety equipment - helmets, knee and elbow pads and wrist guards - will be required.

The city also is considering adding features to the skate park that would allow visitors to stay on the site without having to go into the gym, Nelson said. Under consideration is a canopied area with picnic benches and a drinking fountain where skaters can eat and rest, he said.

The city also plans to install lighting to allow skating at night, Nelson said.

``The city manager really wants this to be a class A-1 park,'' Nelson said. ``We're going to do as much as we can with what we have.''