MOUNT DORA, Fla. — Mount Dora is opening the doors to a new community center designed to bring recreation, education and other resources together in one place.
The city held a ribbon-cutting Monday for the Nathaniel Bell Community Resource & Recreation Center at 1010 Lincoln Avenue. A series of opening activities will continue through a grand opening celebration Saturday, Sept. 12.
The 31,100-square-foot facility includes an indoor basketball court, computer and technology lab, commercial teaching kitchen, classrooms, meeting spaces and a child watch area.
Memberships are free for everyone, regardless of where they live. Adults must register youth members.
Opening schedule
Tours and membership registration are being offered from 2 to 6 p.m. through Friday, Sept. 4. Recreation and other programs will not yet be available during that period.
A soft opening is scheduled for Sept. 8 through Sept. 11, when registered members can begin using the center from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The grand opening celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 12 and will include food, music, a kids zone, giveaways, facility tours, community organizations and free membership registration.
City officials said the center is intended to become a hub for health and wellness, workforce development, youth and family programs, technology training and other community services.
Center honors longtime Mount Dora leader
The facility is named for Nathaniel Bell, a former Mount Dora City Council member, educator and longtime advocate for the city’s Northeast community.
Bell was elected to the City Council in 1978 and advocated for developing a recreation complex on Lincoln Avenue. The City Council formally named the new center in his honor in March.
The city has said Bell spent decades creating opportunities for young people and also worked as an educator, entrepreneur and community advocate.
More information about the project and Bell’s legacy is available through the City of Mount Dora.
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