Facility dedication draws hundreds in Dorchester
Hundreds of parents and children gathered yesterday at the dedication of the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Dorchester under climbing ropes pinned to the ceiling of a gymnasium large enough to house two basketball courts.
The 90,000-square-foot complex near Uphams Corner and the Roxbury line also features a water park-style aquatics area, a fitness center, a senior center, a combination chapel and theater, a teaching kitchen, and an education center with a library and classrooms.
The center will host more than 100 programs for children, teens, adults, and seniors.
“This is great; it’s right up the street from me,’’ said Dorchester resident Cassie Stapleberg, 33, who has four sons and a daughter, ages 2 to 12. “We can worship here, and the kids can go to Sunday school at the same place.’’
Jose Demoreire, who brought his two daughters to see the center, said he uses it for weight and cardio equipment.
“This is right in my backyard,’’ said the 40-year-old Roxbury resident. “It’s great for our whole family.’’
Built with $85 million donated by Joan B. Kroc, the widow of McDonald’s magnate Ray Kroc, the Kroc Center, at 650 Dudley St., aims to combine the Salvation Army’s social and religious missions with the amenities of a first-class health club to create a haven for a neighborhood struggling with poverty, crime, drugs, and violence.
An ongoing focus of the project is engaging the local economy, Major William H. Bode, Salvation Army divisional commander, told the crowd. Bode said local businesses performed more than half of the construction work and local residents will fill more than half of positions at the center.
“You guys really performed a miracle,’’ Mayor Thomas M. Menino said to the project’s financial team as he addressed the crowd. “During tough economic times, you made it happen.’’
Menino emphasized that the facility should be open to all.
“All people in the community must be able to enjoy this project,’’ he said.
The center’s membership rates vary according to income, but basic fees are $55 a month for adults, and $15 a month for youth, ages 12 to 17. Financial aid is available.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, officials from the Salvation Army, and at least five city councilors and three state representatives joined Menino in celebrating the center.
Girard can be reached at chrisjgirard@gmail.com. 
Waiting for Twitter to feed in the latest...