ORANGE, Texas — The City of Orange is getting closer to some Golden Triangle growth.
In March, the county was planning to open up a brand new recreational center, but now the much-anticipated opening of the Orange Recreational Center has been put on pause.
The center, which sits at the site of the old natatorium was expected to open at the start of the summer. But there’s a late-stage hiccup that's causing a delay.
"This has been a vision of our mayor for years," said James Lawrence, parks and recreation manager.
If you live in Orange and want to play ball inside, you are going to have to wait a little bit longer.
The 7,200-square-foot Orange Recreation Center needs some finishing touches before it can open its doors. Lawerence said it will be well worth the wait.
"I think it's much needed. It’s going to give the kids a place after school to come play in a safe, fun environment," Lawerence said.
The $3 million project includes basketball courts and four volleyball courts. The long-term plan is to offer more programs.
"Here, when we open, we're going to have volleyball, basketball, to start off with. And then we're working right now to develop our other programs. We don't know exactly what they're going to be because we are starting from the ground up,” Lawrence said.
So, what's the hold-up? It’s the floors. City leaders are still waiting for rubber flooring to be installed.
"Right now, we're waiting on the moisture level of the slab to get to the right level, which we're almost there," Lawrence said.
Installation of the floors, which is about a four-week process, is expected to begin next week.
In the meantime, they are interviewing people for open positions.
Lawrence said they've had a low number of people apply.
The plan is for the rec center to open in September.