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| Asarese-Matters' new gym floor |
The renovation of the gymnasium at
the Asarese-Matters Recreation Center is almost complete.
New rubber coated flooring, new lights,
a divider and a scoreboard have been installed in the gym at the center. Once bleachers
are installed, the project will be complete.
The project was funded courtesy of a
$50,000 state grant through former Assemblyman Sam Hoyt. Tom Koller, associate
athletics director at Buffalo State College, served as a chair for the center
and sought the grant in order to modernize the gym for youth.
Michael Milovich, the program
coordinator for the city of Buffalo, and a former recreation instructor of the
Asarese-Matters Center, said the gym, which once had a cement floor, was long
overdue for remodeling. Milovich said that the reason it took more than four
years is because the city and the county were unable to assign accountability
for the center.
“For example, if we had a window
broken, we would call the city,” said Milovich. “They would come over, say
‘yeah, it’s broken. But it’s up to the county to fix.’ Then we’d call the
county, they’d look at it, and say, ‘yeah, it’s broken. But it’s the city’s job
to fix it.”
Milovich, who has worked with the
center for 24 years, is glad that neighborhood youth will finally be able to
benefit from a new gym.
“It’s nice
to see something new made for kids who don’t get new things a lot,” said
Milovich. By Shari Ingles and Maureen Vitali
