After opening on July 17, the Conway Community Center has navigated the summer months and now looks towards fall in its first year of existence. 

“Last time I checked, over 2,000 memberships had been sold,” city spokesman Bobby Kelly said.

Kelly said the community center averages around 1,000 people on the weekends – with the most popular area being the outdoor aquatic area.

“It was packed full of kids,” Kelly said. “And it’s always nice to see kids from all walks of life, especially in the summertime, in a safe kind of environment engaging in something.” 

Kelly also anticipates indoor activities like pickleball and volleyball tournaments, along with swim meets, will become more prominent as the calendar flips to fall. 

The community center, along with areas like Veterans Plaza and Martin Luther King Jr. Square, are part of Conway’s spaces for public gatherings and events. 

“Right now we’re switching more into an event space that’s starting to pop off,” Kelly said. “In terms of people reserving spots for parties, for meetings – things like that.” 

Kelly also emphasized the employment opportunities at the community center – especially for young people in Conway. 

“It’s a good opportunity for UCA students and there’s a lot of good flexibility with part time and also full time jobs,” Kelly said. 

In terms of safety, Kelly said the center had no injuries or drownings during the summer. 

“We had a great group of lifeguards out there this summer,” Kelly said. “I heard 51 out of 52 of them made some type of rescue – which was eye-opening.”

Kelly said most of the lifeguards were either high school or college students. 

While the center has had most of its operations go smoothly, Kelly said there were some adjustments as the facility went through its growing pains. 

“We had a slight issue with the playing surface for pickleball,” Kelly said. “The floor wasn’t up to pickleball standards – it wasn’t bouncing right. That’s a remedy that’s been fixed.” 

Kelly said the most important issue the city has had to deal with is communication. 

After there was confusion of how the community center’s hours changed after the summer, Kelly said some residents were unhappy. 

“We’re going to do a better job of communicating not just when the summer hours open, but whenever modified hours are going to happen so people can know what to expect,” Kelly said. 

Kelly said the center’s outdoor aquatic hours will change to weekends only in order to have the proper amount of lifeguards on duty.

“It takes 23 lifeguards to run [the aquatic center] right and we’re not willing to sacrifice safety,” Kelly said. 

The aquatic center opens at 5 p.m. on Fridays. It then opens at 7 a.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. on Sundays. 

Kelly said the city ultimately considers the community center’s goal of community involvement and usage a success. 

“The goals were never for it to make money,” Kelly said. “But when it comes to utilization, people are utilizing this facility for sure.” 

The community center’s hours are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. It opens at 1 p.m. on Sundays. 

Monthly memberships for adults are $35, while daily passes cost $7.00.