NEWS

5 possible names for new DMACC center

Linh Ta
lta@dmreg.com

Des Moines Area Community College is looking for feedback on naming its new community recreation center at its Ankeny campus.

A rendering of the new student center and recreation complex being built at the Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny campus.

After getting feedback from the public in April, DMACC developed five names for the center. The names focus on the community aspect of the facility, along with exercise and recreation. The official name will be announced in midsummer, said Susan Metheny, spokeswoman for DMACC.

The activities complex will open in September, and the recreation center will open in February or March. The $38 million project includes an eight-lane competition swimming pool, new exercise and strength-training equipment, cycling studios and a track in the recreation area. The student activity center will include a food court with about 6,000 square feet of meeting space, a black-box theater and a game room.

The following are the five proposed names and the reasons behind them, according to DMACC. Online votes are being accepted at: www.dmacc.edu/ankenycenter 

ARCH
Ankeny Recreation & Community Health:

An arch can be considered a doorway or gateway, an invitation for the community to engage with wellness and DMACC.
ARCH could stand for Ankeny Recreation & Community Health, or Aquatics, Recreation, Community & Health.

ConneXion
Aquatics & Recreation:

ConneXion refers to the connections the facility can make and provide with the community.
The “X” could be interpreted in a few different ways, related to the word exercise, or a desired location on a map.

COR
Aquatics & Recreation:

COR is Latin for “heart," a central interaction point for the community.
The name, spelled CORE, provides a notion of a central area, but also speaks to working out, and what’s central or important to individuals.

Trail Point
Aquatics & Recreation:

DMACC’s Ankeny campus is adjacent to Prairie Trail, a neighborhood and entertainment district developed by DMACC alumni and Ankeny resident Dennis Albaugh.

The Trail
Aquatics & Recreation:

DMACC’s Ankeny campus is near the High Trestle Trail.
DMACC has also provided students a career pathway or trail. This can also speak to the 10th-of-a-mile indoor track located on the second floor of the facility.