Commissioner Vin Parisi, the city’s parks and recreation commissioner, and Mayor Yadira Ramos Herber on Saturday led a ceremonial ribbon cutting for Downtown Rec, a newly opened indoor community recreation facility in downtown New Rochelle funded with municipal effort and private donations.

Parisi said the project “has been in the works for years” and thanked donors and partners, including local Audi dealers and Manhattan Motorcars, for helping finance and outfit the space. “This is an exciting day because this is a long, long day coming,” Parisi said.

City Manager Will Melendez said the city expects Parks and Recreation to operate the brick-and-mortar site year-round and that the facility is intended as an asset for residents. “It’s just another example of our commitment … to providing an outlet and an asset for our residents and our community,” Melendez said.

Officials described a program schedule that has already run soft-opening events: cheer clinics, tumbling, preschool and kindergarten basketball activities (with lower hoops), “mommy-and-me” sessions, children’s dance classes for ages 3–5, adult recreation leagues, science explorer programs run with the youth bureau, and specialty groups such as step teams. Parisi said a recent event drew “over a hundred kids.” The youth bureau’s Shayla Brickell was identified as a staff lead for youth programming.

Mayor Ramos Herber highlighted the public–private partnership and said the space will also serve a community need during hot weather. “When there’s really hot days, it’ll serve as a cooling center for our residents,” she said.

City officials named a range of staff and local partners involved in creating and operating Downtown Rec, including Deputy Commissioner Nina Gainer and Lauren O’Connor from Parks and Recreation, development department staffer Adam Salgado, the youth bureau, the office for the aging at the Hugh Doyle Senior Center, and public works staff. Local business and real-estate representatives mentioned by speakers included Ivan Burrows and Sean Chekema (Audi), John Kaufman of Manhattan Motorcars, Christina Damiano of Cushman & Wakefield with New Roc Management, Mel Richards, Catherine White of the Chamber of Commerce, and Anne Gold of the downtown BID.

Organizers said the city will ramp up branding, marketing and social media to promote classes and drop-in activities. No formal vote or funding ordinance was presented or adopted at the event; officials described the ceremony as the public opening following prior planning and fundraising.

The ribbon cutting concluded the public remarks; officials and guests posed for the ceremonial ribbon snip and took questions and photos afterward.