The East Oakland Sports Center is part of the Complex located within the William “Bill” Patterson Park and includes state-ofthe-art Fitness, Aquatic and Dance Centers, as well as Ira Jinkins Recreation Center and Gymnasium, Tennis Courts, Baseball Diamond, and Tot Lot.
The concept for the East Oakland Sports Center (EOSC) originated with a vision from Councilmember Reid to create a recreation complex and destination venue for the city of Oakland residents and visitors that is affordable, accessible and available.
Free on Fridays!
The murals on the Center are painted by Daniel Galvez and Jos Sances and at least partially funded by Measure DD. [ need to find out full involvement. ]
East Oakland Sports Center
Oakland Council President Larry Reid and Office of Parks and Recreation Director (OPR) Audree V. Jones-Taylor were among the City of Oakland officials welcoming guests to the Grand Opening of the new East Oakland Sports Center on Thursday, June 30, 2011. The new 25,000-square-foot center located at 9161 Edes Avenue hosted a celebration from 4 to 10pm on Thursday, June 30 which included an official ribbon-cutting at 5:30pm.
The 25,000-square-foot East Oakland Sports Center offers a wide variety of year-round recreational opportunities emphasizing health, wellness and fitness that are available to all ages. The facility boasts a 9,000-square-foot aquatic center has an indoor water park featuring a white water slide, lazy river, zero-depth entry activity pool with spray and dumping buckets, and a two-lane lap area ensuring fun for the entire family. The facility is also suitable for activities such as swim lessons, birthday parties, Camp H2Oakland, water aerobics, lap swim, water walking and classes on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid.
The 3,600-square-foot fitness center will offer a variety of cardio equipment, free weights and fitness machines. Personal training services, including orientation to the equipment and facility as well as health and nutrition seminars will also be offered.
The dance studio boosts a spacious 3,300-square-foot hardwood floor and mirrors, ballet barres and abundant natural light. Adult and youth courses that we offered had included ballet, Chicago Steppin, jazz, Bodies In Motion, Hip Hop, Ballet Folklorico, tap and African dance. Group exercise classes such as Pilates, Bootcamp, Yoga Basics, Gentle Yoga, Self-Defense Classes with Rhythms, Core & Abs, Zumba Fitness, Aerobics and Mommy Fit will and had also be held in the dance studio.
As visitors arrive at the center, they will immediately notice the “East Oakland Sports Center Murals” by the Oakland-based artist team of Daniel Galvez and Jos Sances that depict community members engaged in various forms of recreation. Commissioned by the City of Oakland’s Public Art Program, the murals have been hand-painted on the perforated metal sunscreen that wraps the southern and western windows of the building as well as digitally transferred onto glass tiles embedded in the lobby’s floor. The artwork’s theme of “healthy lifestyles” matches the activities promoted at the center and exude energy and excitement. The artist team selected imagery based on research and dialogue with the neighborhood residents during a series of public meetings and workshops.
A true collaboration developed from the vision of Council President Reid with funding for this project coming from multiple sources, including $11 million from Measure DD Oakland Trust for Clean Water & Safe Parks, $6 million in Measure WW – East Bay Regional Parks funds, $3.2 million in Measure I Oakland General Obligation Bond funding, $3 million in State Proposition 40 funds and $2 million from the Oakland Redevelopment Agency. The public art murals were funded by Measure DD and authorized by the City of Oakland’s Public Art Ordinance and Redevelopment Agency Resolution which require the allocation of 1.5% of municipal capital improvement project costs for public art.
Jones-Taylor, sums it all up when she said, “This Complex is a great addition to the wonderful opportunities available to all citizens and visitors in Oakland as a gathering place for creating laughter, memories and old-fashioned fun. We invite everyone to ‘Come Out and Play the OPR Way’ and celebrate our commitment to playing with a purpose to expose, enlighten, empower and encourage educational excellence through recreational experiences.”
Future unfunded phases of the East Oakland Sports Center master plan call for an outdoor competition swimming pool, a two-court basketball gymnasium with an elevated running track, three soccer fields and additional parking.
note: this is copy/pasted from somewhere but I'm not sure where
Links and References
- East Oakland Sports Center official webpage
- Oakland Parks & Recreation webpage
- East Oakland Sports Center YouTube
- East Oakland Sports Center Facebook
- East Oakland Sports Center Turner Construction