Visit the Eden Prairie Community Center Saturday to get a look at the nearly completed Eden Prairie amenity.

Eden Prairie Community Center Manager Wendy Sevenich said that since the open house earlier this year, the front entryway has been completed, as well as the gymnasium and racquetball area and all meeting rooms. Since the renovations started last spring, the Community Center has almost doubled in size. Renovation costs were set at $14 million.

You’ll be able to see the new childcare area, which is scheduled to open on June 1; as well as the concessions area, which is opening June 9. The goal had been to have the childcare area open by May 1, Sevenich said, but there were “some general things to address.” She said, “A lot of it was assuring appropriate staffing, [finding the] right person to be lead for that department.”

Next up is the indoor play structure which is to open July 1. And the improvements don’t stop there.

One thing to look forward to is teen programming, which is being added in the fall for those ages 8 to 13.

“Our goal is to have specialized classes and programming in place and also a youth lounge, starting in September,” Sevenich said.

Of membership levels, Sevenich said that the Community Center had about 500 memberships in the past. “Our goal was to move toward in April having approximately the same,” she said, however. “We are getting very close to 1,000 memberships.”

She expects fewer memberships in the summer, but, “We’ve surpassed our initial goal.”

What is getting the biggest reaction from the community?

“I would say the biggest immediate reaction is the fitness and group fitness areas because it is the greatest expansion,” Sevenich said. From a programming perspective, the gymnasium has made a big difference, she added.

“We are just overwhelmed with the response to those meeting rooms,” she said. The rooms are being used by Eden Prairie businesses and organizations.

“It’s achieving our goal,” she said. “We wanted the community to use this space.”

Sevenich said she is surprised at how many patrons hadn’t used the Community Center in the past, but she points out that there weren’t as many programs offered.

“The whole point of this was that we knew we didn’t have the services we needed to make it a whole package and now we do,” she said.

Initially, “We did have some general concerns on the household membership pricing,” Sevenich said. “We really passed through that hurdle once people saw the value of what they were getting.”

She said that people are utilizing the variety of memberships available, like a dual membership for a parent and child, for example.

“People make choices as to what they do with their families and many of them have chosen to do the drop in,” she said, paying per use to use the gym or skate.

She said that the diverse options available at the Community Center make it family friendly.

“We always want to remind people, we are still the registration headquarters for city programs,” she said.

The Community Center starts its summer hours on June 1. Summer hours are 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. College memberships are also being offered in the summer.

 “Our goal is to for them to come and see their Community Center and find out all the things it can offer for them – and it’s going to be a fun time,” she said.

If you go

What: Community Center Grand Opening

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17

Where: Eden Prairie Community Center, 16700 Valley View Road

Activities: To include free open swimming, skating and gym, face painting, fitness assessments, entertainment, tours, exhibitions, music, games, inflatables and more.

Information: 952-949-8457.