PENDLETON — Pendleton officials, developers of Community Sports and Wellness, and members of the public came out to a community celebration Thursday, Aug. 2, at the site of a planned 115,000-square-foot athletic facility at 203 S. Heritage Way in Falls Pointe Business Park.

Town council members, including President Bob Jones and Chad Wolfe, spoke about how the project will be a boon to the town, fostering economic development and drawing people to the town.

Andy Card, co-president and co-CEO of Klipsch-Card Athletic Facilities, which is working with Community Hospital of Anderson and others on the $14 million project, said the facility will provide a top-notch location for workouts, tennis and gymnastics, with the latest technology and high-end amenities.

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“This was a five-year process, and we pulled it off and came together,” Card said.

Klipsch-Card will operate sports facilities — workout center, tennis and gymnastics — and the hospital will operate its wellness center, a space of about 10,000 square feet where there there will be programs and classes.

Card said work at the site will begin next month with the hopes of opening in the spring.

Phase 1 will include indoor gyms and workout rooms, eight indoor tennis courts and the gymnastics center, as well as a café, in addition to the hospital wellness center.

A second phase is also in the works that includes outdoor courts.

Members of the public who attended said they are excited about the development.

Teresa Burtner of Pendleton said her whole family, including children and grandchildren in Pendleton and Lapel, could end up at the facility.

“This is a great location,” she said, noting she will consider switching her gym membership from a place in Anderson to the Pendleton spot.

Two of her four grandchildren play tennis, she said, and could end up at the club.

And she’s interested in there being a place to take classes and learn more about healthy living.

“I’m just really interested in the facility … the whole concept of it,” she said.

Sue Cloud of Anderson came out to the celebration with a group of friends, members of a group that calls itself MADison COWnty Pickleball.

She said the group has about 25 members who play at a couple of small area gyms and churches.

But a nice new facility with courts built especially for pickleball will be great, she said.

“We can’t wait, are you kidding?” she said. “Could they open it tomorrow?”