Community Celebration & Ribbon Cutting Set for the Expanded WPCRC

The community is invited to join Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, alders, neighborhood leaders, project partners and community members to officially open the expanded Warner Park Community Recreation Center on Wednesday, July 8 beginning at 10:00am.

"The Warner Park Community Recreation Center has played an important role in strengthening Madison families. It's a hub for community- a space that welcomes our young people, our elders, and everyone in between," said Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. "The expansion of this well-loved facility will allow the City to serve even more people on the northside and beyond. I invite everyone in our community to celebrate and see for yourself the new amenities made possible by this investment. It's a special place and one of the reasons why Madison is a great place to call home."

Originally opened in 1999, WPCRC is the first and only City operated community center and sits on a hill overlooking Warner Park's lagoon and woodlands. For more than 25 years, the Center has served as a vital gathering place for recreation, education, wellness and community connection for all ages.

The expansion fulfills a vision first identified during a community-wide planning process in 2015, when residents expressed a desire for additional programming and gathering spaces. In 2017, a facility study was conducted to the programmatic needs, possible expansion options and associated costs. In 2022 and the years following, staff worked to gather feedback through workshops, online surveys, community meetings and visioning sessions. In 2024, the expansion construction process moved forward to include a gymnasium, public gathering space, storage and mechanical space as well as renovations to the existing locker rooms and restrooms.

Today, the new space connects seamlessly with an atrium area that features Reach For It artwork designed by a collaboration between local Madison Metropolitan School District middle and high school students, internationally acclaimed professional artist and UW-Madison professor Faisal Abdu'Allah, the Madison Arts Commission, graffiti artist @MFDave247, and multiple City agencies.

The nearly 9,000 sf Blue Gymnasium offers a flexible design including mobile bleaches, and state-of-the-art sound system and display boards. Omnisport Active+ flooring provides added shock absorption and durability for games of pickleball, basketball, volleyball and more.

Using federal grant funds, the building was upgraded for energy efficiency using a geothermal system, with specialty heating and cooling equipment supplied by the geothermal field northeast of the building. Solar panels also supply part of the building's electricity. Renovations to the original building include an all-new fitness center, in the former game room space, that features treadmills, ellipticals, TRX suspension trains, and more. The former fitness center room is now a flexible, reservable space with new flooring and paint and serves as a fitness studio, ideal for yoga or other smaller classes.

In addition to the expansion, the existing gym - now referred to as the Green Gymnasium, was renovated starting with the removal of the fixed bleachers to increase the gym's size. Restoration of the floor and walls was completed, with installation of corner-to-corner wall padding and a divider curtain. An all-new basketball system, and portable bleachers round out the Green Gym's makeover.

The Center's kitchen received much-needed improvements thanks to a generous donation from the Madison Parks Foundation. The kitchen is now equipped with large-capacity, reach-in, stainless steel refrigerators and a freezer, a double-deck, 2-door convection oven, a 6-burner range, 4 counter-top induction ranges, a self-closing insulated holding cabinet, and a high-capacity, low-chemical dishwasher.

Wednesday, July 8, 2026
10:00am to 2:00pm
Warner Park Community Recreation Center
1624 Northport Drive
Madison, WI 53704

• 10:00am: Welcome & Remarks, followed by a ribbon cutting
  • Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, City of Madison
  • Alder Julia Matthews, District 12
  • Alder Carmella Glenn, District 18
  • Zach Watson, Warner Park Facility Manager
• 11:00am - 11:45am - Guided Facility Tours
  • Starting at 11:00am, 11:15am and 11:30am
• 12:00pm - 2:00pm - Gym Activities
  • Various sports including basketball, volleyball, soccer and pickleball with all equipment provided
    • Wear non-marking rubber-soled shoes with soft, flat soles that won't scuff or damage indoor gym floors
  • Bouncy house
  • Movie & popcorn: Goat (2026) PG 1h 40m
  • Drop-in art and pottery projects
  • Face painting
  • Balloon twisting