Fairmount Community Center: ‘More than just a gym’

Davenport Mayor Mike Matson is excited about the new Fairmount Community Center.  In addition to giving people a place to meet and play, the new center will be the go-to place for movie night. The exterior of the building will include material that allows for movies to be projected onto it. “Anytime you can put […]

Davenport Mayor Mike Matson is excited about the new Fairmount Community Center.  In addition to giving people a place to meet and play, the new center will be the go-to place for movie night. The exterior of the building will include material that allows for movies to be projected onto it.

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“Anytime you can put something in the community that the community can use, that’s a great thing. … We’re putting in a community center in an area that needs it,” said Mr. Matson during a brief Tuesday, July 11, groundbreaking ceremony for the new $2.8 million Fairmount Community Center. It will be located at 2980 N. Fairmount St., next to the Davenport Public Library – Fairmount Branch. Funding for the center was lined up through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). (All ARPA funds must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2026, according to city officials.) If all goes according to plan, the center will be done and ready for movie night in nine to 12 months. In fact, construction work on the project is scheduled to begin this week. “This project could have been just another gym, but the city had a goal of more,” said Landon Burg, senior project architect with the Des Moines-based OPN Architects, which designed the new community center. “This facility will be more than just a gym.” Mr. Burg was one of the speakers during Tuesday’s ceremony for the new center. That event, which attracted about 50 people including city leaders, was held at the future site of the community center. That site is now a fenced-in area in front of the library’s parking lot on the west end of Davenport. During Tuesday’s ceremony, Mr. Matson said that it wasn’t that long ago when this west section of the city had very few facilities. Now, after some hard work and planning, there is a library, the Scott Community College - West Campus next door at 2950 N. Fairmount St., and a community center in the works. That new center will include 4,500 square feet of usable space with the ability to accommodate 359 occupants. The facility will contain a half-court style gym for introductory sports, drop-in activity, and a wide range of other functions, including movies that screened on the exterior of the building. Once complete, the new center will have a “campus-like atmosphere,” Mr. Burg added. “The Davenport Parks and Recreation Department is thankful for the investment by our city council to bring to fruition a new community center space for our residents,” said Chad Dyson, director of Davenport Parks and Recreation. “This center will give residents space to enjoy community activities and recreational programming.” The parks department will manage and program the community center. The space will be available for the community to utilize and rent on weekends for various events. Planning for the new community center has been in the works for more than a year. A public input meeting was held in May 2022 during an open house event at the Davenport Public Library – Fairmount Branch. During that open house in May of 2022, OPN officials displayed possible exterior, interior and landscape features for the center. Images of several options were placed on walls for public view. Among the options were: a music room, game room, gym, exercise room, cafe and hobby workshop.  The landscape options included a manicured look and ornamental, native and enhanced native plants. Another wall featured a list of possible multi-use spaces in the center including a storm shelter, sensory room, food court and outdoor program activity space. In advance of the building’s construction, Fairmount Street will be closed for approximately two to three weeks for utility work to serve the new facility. Public information on traffic control and detours will be available at betterroadsdavenport.com within the next few days.