Our New Community Center
Take A Tour Of The New Wellington Community Center
By Jason Stromberg
A new era began in August with the opening of the new Wellington Community Center. After years of planning, the state-of-the-art facility opened to rave reviews.
Last year, the village knocked down the old community center, a 35-year-old facility, to create a blank canvas upon which to create a versatile, new building. Now, village officials want residents to check out and tour the new Wellington Community Center, home to many community programs.
“There is no comparison between the two,” Wellington Parks & Recreation Director Bruce DeLaney said when comparing old versus new. “The views from our ballroom and meeting rooms are outstanding. It is like a brand-new world. It’s brighter and more vibrant. It’s everything you want in a new facility.”
Wellington Cultural Programs & Facilities Manager Joe Piconcelli is excited to see the new building in operation.
“I think residents are going to be amazed with how nice the finishes are on the inside of the facility,” Piconcelli said. “It has a nice, crisp, clean look. It follows today’s theme of a more modern look. Some of the outdoor features are really unique.”
Those outdoor amenities include a large grass area around the building where special events can be held, and the walkways that lead to Lake Wellington, the dock area, the new rowing club building and the Wellington Aquatics Complex.
One of the nice things about the new Wellington Community Center is that visitors no longer need to walk up a steep hill to enter the building — an important consideration since the facility will host many programs for senior citizens.
“What it means for the seniors is that they can just pull up to the building and walk straight in,” Piconcelli said. “The seniors don’t have to walk up a big hill to get to the community center. The entryway and the landscaping is really fabulous.”
The new building is a 25,000-square-foot facility featuring a ballroom on the second floor that overlooks Lake Wellington. The first floor has several multipurpose meeting rooms. There is also a beautiful small banquet room.
“The new facility fits in with our overall municipal complex area,” DeLaney said. “You have to remember, the original building was a sales center and a clubhouse that went through multiple renovations.”
The original Wellington Club opened in 1979. Piconcelli remembers it like it was yesterday. The country club, a meeting place for early Wellington residents, eventually became the village’s community center.
“I was a housing salesman for the original developer,” Piconcelli said. “We would have dinner with clients, looking out over Lake Wellington, and enjoying the sights. It became a focal point for all the local residents. The clubhouse is where you would bring people to have a good time. It became the community center after incorporation.”
A focal point of the fledgling community, Piconcelli has fond memories of the old building.
“There was nothing out here at the time — no shopping, no malls. The club was the center of town in Wellington. It was where people met,” Piconcelli said. “Of course, it was a sales tool to sell property here in Wellington. It was a place to go. A lake you could row on and boat in, along with swimming and tennis. It was just a very unique place. Basically, it was a good country club.”
The decision to build a new Wellington Community Center didn’t happen overnight. The concept was discussed for a number of years. “The original facility had come to the end of its useful life cycle,” DeLaney said. “The Wellington Village Council made the decision to replace the existing facility with a new one, as opposed to putting an investment into rehabilitating the old one.”
Now, it is a better community center, with an incredible number of scheduled programs, from dance to meditation, and a meeting place for local groups, such as the Wellington Seniors Club, the Wellington Art Society and the Wellington Garden Club.
“Those are the kinds of organizations and programs that will be here,” Piconcelli said. “There is the other aspect of the community center. There are two magnificent rooms that can be rented for weddings, baby showers and birthday parties. Both rooms overlook the lake, with excellent views of Lake Wellington. There are catering kitchens adjacent to both rooms. There is a wonderful outdoor patio and a covered lanai.”
It doesn’t stop there when touring the new building.
“You’re going to have wonderful views from all vantage points,” Piconcelli said. “You will have a warm and inviting feeling in the new Wellington Community Center. When you walk in, there is a 25-foot ceiling. On the second floor, there are extra celestial windows that give the room a bright and cheery feeling. The ballroom upstairs is magnificent. You can seat about 300 people. It has a separate alcove for a stage area. The list goes on and on.”
The new building offers expanded views of Lake Wellington, as well as more parking spaces for the handicapped.
“I came to work here when I was 30 years old. I’ve lived here all my life. I wouldn’t live anywhere else but Wellington,” Piconcelli said. “It’s one of the most unique places in the country. Where else do you have the most fabulous schools, sporting and aquatic facilities? Now, you’re adding the final jewel on the crown — a brand-new community center that the whole community can enjoy. We’ve gone from 300 families to now 60,000 people who live here.”
Piconcelli believes that the new building will offer more amenities while keeping the spirit of old Wellington alive. “We’ve expanded, but kept that hometown feeling,” he said. “It just shows you how Wellington has caught on and how it has become such a vibrant community. It’s one of the premier places to live.”
For more information about the new Wellington Community Center, call (561) 791-4000 or visit www.wellingtonfl.gov.
