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SOUTH JORDAN — The decades-old Marv Jenson Recreation Center, named after a now-deceased boxing legend and local politician, will shutter once and for all in less than a year.
Salt Lake County officials on Tuesday announced the rec center's official closure date: March 31, 2020.
“Marv Jenson Recreation Center has been loved and served our community well, but after extensive study of this facility, we’ve determined that anything other than a complete rebuild would be required to bring it up to the standards we have set for our recreation centers,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said in a prepared statement Tuesday.
“All recreation services currently provided at Marv Jenson will be available at other county recreation facilities and we are continuing to work closely with South Jordan and the Jordan School District to meet the recreation and aquatic needs of the community," the mayor said.
The announcement comes after the Deseret News first reported county officials were planning on closing the 35-year-old facility at 10300 S. Redwood Road after the county, as part of a 2015 master plan, conducted a feasibility study that reviewed the gym's maintenance needs.
The Marv Jenson Recreation Center was built in 1983 as a private health club. In 1995, the county bought the club for $1 million and named it after former Salt Lake County Commissioner Marv Jenson, who was known for training the award-winning boxer Gene Fullmer.
County officials said the recreation center would require millions of dollars of investment — if not a complete rebuild. That included "woefully inadequate" parking, small pool and gymnasium facilities, challenges meeting requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and numerous upkeep issues with the pool, a shifting foundation, and heating and air condition system needs.
“While we know this facility is still a strong recreation asset in South Jordan, it is not economically feasible to continue to operate the building,” Martin Jensen, director of Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, said in a prepared statement.
County officials said current Marv Jenson Recreation Center pass holders will be able to access other county-run recreation facilities, including the new Draper Recreation Center, set to open in early 2020.
For more information about the gym's closure and where to access county recreation programs, visit www.slco.org.
