TROY — After nine months of construction, the Lincoln Community Center is one step closer toward opening their new addition to the public.

“Our staff and board of directors are extremely humbled,” Shane Carter, executive director for the Lincoln Community Center, said. “We’re humbled and grateful for the support, and we’re really excited for the opportunity to provide this facility to the community of Troy and the surrounding vacinity.”

The center has been considered the “true community center” to the city of Troy and surrounding areas for 155 years now; the main building, still in operation today, opened to the public in 1939 at the end of the Great Depression and has been a cornerstone in the community for decades.

Construction of the 21,803-square-foot addition began in March of 2020, and the total cost came in under the $3.8 million budget. According to Carter, the addition was sought because the center, which is home to over 58 programs ranging from sports and recreation, to educational, and the arts, was “busting at the seams.” The addition also provided the center with the opportunity to expand from seven parking spots to 60, and will give the center the opportunity to expand programming.

“First and foremost, we’ll be able to provide even more activities in terms of recreational activities. We also have an educational wing, so both our youth and adult educational programs will grow dynamically, and with our art studio, we’ll be able to provide a lot of hands-on learning to improve motor skills,” Carter said.

The addition will also allow the center to utilize the stage space in their original facility for performances; due to their high volume of programming, the stage space was often used to host classes that can now be moved to the new facility. Carter said the addition will allow them to expand their art programs and offer more art progamming, as well as a new indoor walking track and expansions to the center’s Silver Sneakers Program, which is an exercise and recreational program for seniors. The program will offer aerobic, stretching and exercise classes in addition to the water aerobics classes that were offered before.

While the addition is currently closed to the public, the center is hard at work furnishing it with the hope to open the addition to the public in early summer — around late May or June. According to Carter, $4 million was raised through community donations and grant matching programs to fund the project, and the money that was left over from building the addition has gone toward furnishing the addition with things such as weight room equipment, window treatment, signage, office supplies, landscaping, furnishings and more.

“We’re just extremely grateful for the support of the community and the corporations and individuals and foundations that supported this project, and we’re really excited to be able to offer this,” Carter said.

Carter said the center is still actively fundraising for owner responsibilities, which consists of fundraising for the playground, exterior landscaping, and additional appliances and furnishings needed to finish out the building. Donations can be made by contacting the center directly at 937-335-2715, by emailing Carter at [email protected], or by visiting the center’s website at www.lcctroy.org.