Two-year wait ends as new Abilene recreation centers open to the public

April 23, 2026 | KACU 89.5 FM

April 22, 2026 | West Texas Tribune

**Community members walk through the lobby of the Sears Recreation Center and Library to check out the new facilities.** *(Photo by Baylie Simon)*

The Sears Recreation Center and Library opened to the public Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by David Pittman, vice chair of the Abilene Parks and Recreation Committee.

Just an hour before, the G.V. Daniels Recreation Center and Branch Library had its grand opening.

The renovations of both centers were made possible through a $28 million investment funded through bonds approved by voters in the 2023 City election. Constructing both centers at the same time reduced the project’s overall cost by about 5%, but meant that Abilenians had no recreation center accessible to them during the two-year construction process.

“It was really inconvenient, though, because we wanted to be able to offer something always to the citizens of Abilene, and to take both recreation centers at the same time, that’s hard. But we knew long-term we’d be able to provide something special for everybody here,” Pittman said.

**The gaming set-up at the Sears Recreation Center and Library includes a console, a monitor and an LED-lit keyboard.** *(Photo by Baylie Simon)*

Both centers share identical layouts, which were based on what the people of Abilene asked for. There is a classroom, gaming room, library, basketball court and workout space.

The gaming room has multiple high-quality consoles, LED-lit keyboards and comfortable chairs that make for the perfect set-up. The classroom space has virtual reality headsets, sewing machines and other creative supplies on its table countertops. The full-size basketball court will allow kids and adults to shoot around, play pick-up and have recreational team matchups.

“I’m a basketball nerd, so I’m super excited to have an interior space that people can come in and shoot hoops whenever they want to,” Pittman said.

**Adults are among the first to take shots on the new hoops at the Sears Recreation Center and Library.** *(Photo by Baylie Simon)*

The workout space, filled with ellipticals and treadmills, faces a window that looks into the basketball court, which will allow parents to work out while watching their kids play.

Mayor Weldon Hurt is excited about how the recreation centers will serve the entire community.

“Our park staff and our staff at the City of Abilene, they were very creative in saying, okay, this doesn’t just need to be a basketball court. It’s an opportunity so we can work on our physical body and we can work on our mental body at the same time at the same facility,” Hurt said.

Abilene residents receive a membership for free. Nonresidents can either buy a $5 day pass or a $30 annual membership.