Dirt has been overturned in Whitecliff Park — one of the first tangible signs of the new Crestwood Community Center. 

On May 23, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at 9245 Whitecliff Park Lane, where community members and local leaders gathered to celebrate the official start of a new and improved multipurpose facility.

The City of Crestwood expects construction — which should take between 18 and 24 months — to begin sometime in the following weeks. 

Attendees at the groundbreaking had the chance to mingle on the baseball fields, where the new facility will be built, directly across from the existing Crestwood Community Center. Spirits were high. Mayor Scott Shipley was present to talk with community members, who also had the chance to don a hard hat alongside their mayor, pick up a shovel and get their photo.

The new Crestwood Community Center is a $21.3 million project funded by Proposition A, a $33 million bond issue approved by voters in April 2024. New features at the community center will include a larger gym, an elevated indoor track for walking and jogging, event and meeting spaces, a larger fitness area with improved equipment and dedicated spaces for activities like dance, yoga and cardio.

The baseball field at Whitecliff Park will be shut down, now that the City of Crestwood has broken ground. Crestwood has another baseball diamond at Crestwood Park, 9700 Meadowfern Drive.

The existing community center was built in 1978. Upon completion of the new center, part of the existing center will be torn down and renovated into pickleball courts, though the majority of the building will remain — including the gymnasium. This will also be funded through Prop A, which is dedicated to “enhancing parks and recreation amenities,” like this one, throughout Crestwood.