New year, new look, new name for Arlington Ridge Center in Arlington Heights
There was more celebrate Tuesday in Arlington Heights than the arrival of a new year.
Residents joined with community leaders for a New Year's Eve "Elevation Celebration," which served as the grand opening for Arlington Heights Park District's remodeled and renamed Arlington Ridge Center.
Formerly known as the Olympic Indoor Swim Center, Arlington Ridge Center is the finished product of a $17 million renovation and expansion project that doubled the size of the facility at 660 N. Ridge Ave. and added numerous amenities.
The celebration Tuesday included a ribbon-cutting, a balloon drop to welcome 2020 and a performance by the Chicago Boyz acrobatic team that made it to the semifinals of "America's Got Talent" in 2018. There also were fitness class demonstrations, activities for kids and adults, open swimming and tours of the upgraded center.
Now the park district's largest indoor facility at nearly 100,000 square feet, Arlington Ridge features a gymnasium big enough to fit two high school regulation-sized courts, a suspended rubberized walking track and a 5,200-square-foot fitness center.
The original six-lane, 25-yard lap pool, activity pool and 12-foot diving well remain in the aquatic area but now are joined by a warm-water pool that will offer water exercise and swim lessons.
New locker rooms were added, and the space where the previous locker rooms were situated now houses two fitness studios for group classes.
For more about the center, including hours of operation, visit www.ahpd.org/facilities/arlington-ridge-center/.