MELBOURNE, Fla. – After standing proud for 37 years, neighbors were suddenly without a beloved community center, all because of dangerous Central Florida storms.
Friday, after weeks of cleaning up, Melbourne began to reopen the Joseph N. Davis Community Center on Grant Street and welcomed back children and families.
Richard Singleton was the first from the neighborhood who met Brevard County Community Correspondent James Sparvero inside the gym.
“Wow, it’s phenomenal just to be back inside of this building,” the grandparent said. “I’ve been here for many years, and my grandson, too. It keeps a lot of kids out of the street, give them things to do, positive.”
The partial roof collapse in July destroyed the community center’s game room.
That portion of the building is still closed indefinitely.
Senior recreation supervisor Tony Williams said all the children inside the game room during the storm were evacuated safely.
“We had about ten kids in our game room area, but all the kids got out and no one got hurt, very, very scary,” he said.
Williams said he’s happy now to see the neighborhood returning to the community center they love.
“Oh, I love it,” he said. “We are just really excited to have the community back in here and utilizing the space.”
As the gym reopens, the city of Melbourne said the meals for senior citizens program that the community center normally provides will return in September.