The Department of Parks and Recreation held a special ceremony today to reopen the Banneker Recreation Center on Georgia Avenue. The rec center had been closed for repairs for over a year, and some neighbors had started to get restless, as it looked like it was to remain closed for the second crucial summer season in a row.

I have no idea what the rec center looked like beforehand, but I must say that today it looked great. The highlight of the facility is clearly the huge swimming pool out back, but when it’s too cold to swim, the center will make a nice place to hang out and play some table games. It boasts a light-filled computer lab and a multipurpose-looking room that will probably make a good spot for community meetings. There’s a game room that has a pool table, a pingpong table, and some other kind of table that I couldn’t identify. Downstairs, I spied a weight room full of free weights and a mirrored cardio room which, to my disappointment, contained only two measley machines: a stepper and a treadmill. All in all, though, it’s a great addition to the community. My only hope is that DPR will keep the center in the immaculate shape it was in today. (And get an elliptical machine for that cardio room!)