From fishy wallpaper to a colorful manatee mural, the new Manatee Recreation Center, which opened Friday along Hillsborough Drive near Brownwood, offers an under-the-sea experience without getting wet.
Wallpaper with fishes decorates the small lobby and hallway while blue floor decorations contribute to the ocean feel.
A large meeting room features the manatee mural on one wall while the blue carpeting in the billiards room simulates ocean waves. Wall pictures throughout the center are of sea horses, fish and birds.
For those who actually want to get wet, the center features a spacious family pool.
Joined by the Villages Cheerleaders, a substantial number of residents and recreation department employees joined the center’s recreation supervisor Alicia Jordan in cutting the ceremonial ribbon. The group then moved inside to look around and sample refreshments.
Lots of dogs is one thing David Guerra, who has a bichon, said he likes about the neighborhood. Guerra and his wife Bobbi moved into their home near the center in June.
“I love the neighborhood,” said Guerra, whose career was in broadcast journalism. “It’s new people.”
Bobbi Guerra, who described herself as coming from a big Italian family in New York, said she likes all the activities. Originally from New York, the Guerras lived in Arkansas for 38 years.
“We were kind of isolated on five acres,” Bobbi Guerra said.
Originally from Ohio, Alice and Al Lubowicz moved to the nearby Dunedin neighborhood in March after living in the Village of Tamarind Grove for three years.
“It’s just exciting,” Alice Lubowicz said, “to be in here and experience anything new as it opens up.”
Bobbie and Jerry Joyce moved into their nearby home on May 1, coming from St. Louis, Mo.
Jerry Joyce said golf is one of his main attractions, adding that he played 144 holes the previous week.
