The city of Princeton has been working for several years on plans for a new multi-use community center. Now, thanks to a recent federal funding award of $2.2 million, construction on the project is expected to begin this summer.

The community center will take up about 25,000 square feet of space inside of the former Dean Company complex beside city hall. Current plans call for the creation of three basketball courts, a classroom, a martial arts room and space for various community uses inside of the structure.

It will meet a need for the city in providing additional indoor recreational opportunities for citizens and youth, allowing for year-round activities in a safe setting.

The funding for the project is coming from the 2023 federal Omnibus bill.

The award was announced by U.S. Senator Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who toured the former Dean Company structure two years ago. City officials outlined their plans for the multi-use facility with Capito during that earlier tour of the building.

The total cost of the project will be $4 million. The federal funding requires a 45 percent match by the city and that will come from $800,000 already set aside for the project and $1 million in bonds, according to Princeton Economic Development Director Sam Lusk.

Everything is now in place, and officials are planning a late summer groundbreaking, according to City Manager Mike Webb.

The former Dean Company building consists of 280,000 square feet of space. So there is certainly room for additional expansion. Future plans call for the relocation of the Princeton Police Department and the Princeton Fire Departments to the structure. So we can expect additional projects in the near future.

The Dean Company closed in the early 2000s and the city started the process of moving all government functions to the complex in 2017. The first phase of that work involved the relocation of the city hall complex.

While the ongoing transformation of the former Dean Company building into a municipal complex has been a long process for the city, it is an effort that will ultimately benefit Princeton area residents, particularly with having all of the municipal operations at a central, and easy to reach location, just off of Stafford Drive.

Once work gets underway this summer on the multi-use community center, it will mark another important step in the ongoing process.