What, exactly, is the Westside Community Center? That’s a question with many answers. According to the city of Colorado Springs, which owns, sponsors and funds it, its mission is to provide inclusive community enrichment through:
● Arts, culture and music;
● Health and wellness;
● Education and learning;
● Recreational offerings;
● Social connections; and
“Other activities promoting community cohesiveness.”
After WCC’s longtime sponsor, Woodmen Valley Chapel, opted out in 2022, the city introduced a new operational model. It combines public funding (about $400,000 annually) with private initiatives to help support dozens of programs.
In practice, it’s a fun potpourri of programs and activities. The city provides space, facilities management, parking and helpful staff, and Westside residents create the private programs.
The publicly funded Therapeutic Recreation Program is a year-round program “that serves adults and children with disabilities through different fun classes and sports. From adaptive skiing and cycling, boxercise, golf and out-on-the-town dances, TRP provides a wide range of activities that people can choose from to gain the experiences and abilities to function in an active community setting.”
The community activates the center – Jamie Bequette
“A lot of people say ‘Oh, you’re the best-kept secret in city government.’ And we don’t mean to be. It just kind of happens that way,” said Felicia Barnhart, TRP program supervisor.
“TRP offers programs for every person, regardless of age or disability. TRP tries to adapt their activities to those unable to participate due to their disability. If someone is physically unable to do a certain activity, TRP works to adapt the program to fit the person’s individual needs.”
Even in the dull, dark days of January, the WCC is full of life. Eighteen privately initiated activities were featured during the month, each presented at least once weekly.
Activities include Bible study (everyone welcome!), line dancing, piano lessons, pickleball, table tennis, senior fitness ($2 per person per class), walking yoga, Westside Mamas and Zumba. We dropped in for a while at the new Westside Exchange, a weekly discussion group and social. The week’s topic: guns.
The discussion was factual and free of anger and bias. The half-dozen attendees were all seniors.
“There aren’t as many of us as we hoped,” said the moderator. “But look at the weather!”
Program Administrator Jamie Bequette confirmed that January tends to be a slow month, but the former Buena Vista school, which opened in 1911, is not exactly deserted.
“There are about 100 hard-core Community Center attendees,” she said. “They’re here in good weather and bad.”
Looking back at the past year, as WCC established its private/public partnership model, Bequette was optimistic.
“WCC’s programming model is different than the other three city-owned community centers,” she wrote after a year on the job.
“Our model is a public-private partnership. This largely means that the community activates the center. Having community members come to me to express their interest to lead an activity was exciting! It is easy for a person to say, ‘You should have X program at WCC.’
“It takes a person with leadership and dedicated community interest to say ‘I would like to start X program at WCC. What is the process to get started?’ Even inviting a potential program provider that you know to reach out about the process of starting their activity is community-driven activation.
“A mother’s group, student tutoring, piano lessons, various lectures, a discussion group and new exercise classes have all been added to the calendar because of community members coming forth with their ideas and backing them with action.”
WCC is guided by a citizen’s working committee, presently consisting of 11 community volunteers (10 women and nearby resident Justin Trudeau).
Fun as it may be in the dark days of winter, WCC comes alive in the summer, especially the community garden.
The WCC website explains that it rents 71 eight-foot-long beds on a first-come, first-served basis. Garden beds are $30 each for the season and include water and the use of tools. Payment is accepted online with credit/debit card. Cash or check is accepted at the center during hours of operation.
Food to Power (foodtopowerco.org) offers composting drop-off service to Westside residents, with bins near the northwest corner of the community garden.
As one longtime participant said, “It makes gardening communal — you learn what to plant, when to plant, how much to water, how to avoid problem plants. And it’s so affordable!”
So check out WCC. You don’t have to make an appointment, you don’t have to fill out forms, you don’t have to present a photo ID — in the spirit of Fannie Mae Duncan, everybody is welcome!
IF YOU GO
The Westside Community Center is at 1628 W. Bijou St. Information: coloradosprings.gov/westsidecommunitycenter.