ROYAL CITY - The grand opening of the new Royal City Community Center on Saturday was attended by more than 100 people, including about 60 golfers who participated in a grand opening tournament.

The grand opening was an opportunity for area residents to tour the new community asset and thank those individuals most responsible for its development.

The community center is located at the Royal City Golf Course. It will serve as a golf shop for the Royal Golf Association on a daily basis. 

"This was a dream of ours," said Bill Lefler, who dreamed up the golf course a quarter-century ago and spearheaded the effort to build it.

The golf shop will give way for community or private events, the official purpose of the building. According to City Clerk/Finance Director Kelly Collins, it has already been rented out "a couple of times."

The grand opening began with a flag raising ceremony by Boy Scout Troop No. 78, led by Scout Jacob Lee. The national anthem was sung by Royal High School senior Moriah Christensen, who was recently chosen Royal City Distinguished Young Woman.

Royal Golf Association President Andrew Perkins, acting as master of ceremonies, recognized dignitaries such as Mayor Justin Jenks and County Commissioner Cindy Carter. Mostly he thanked those who helped with the project.

According to Perkins, it took two to three years to put up the center. Before the grand opening, he noted the key players from the beginning were Royal City Clerk/Finance Director Kelly Collins, Project Manager Donna Lawrence and Rhonda Davis, who secured donations of money, time and materials.

"I can't say enough about their tenacity to get the building funded," he said. 

The basic funding for the project, $192,632, came from the Grant County Strategic Infrastructure Project (SIP). A large share of the cost came from local donations of money, materials and time.

"A lot of work  has gone into the community center by volunteers to provide a central location for community groups and residents to meet," Perkins said.

Other persons Perkins said should be recognized for their efforts include:

Kelly Delay, past president of the RGA, who spearheaded the grant process with the city;Justin Jenks, Royal City Mayor, who offered the city as the sponsoring agency;

Cathy Potter, Port of Royal Slope executive director, who helped generate government assistance across the board;

Ted Christensen, who spearheaded the laying of the foundation and saved the RGA thousands of dollars;

Shane Christensen, who assisted with the foundation;

Gary Piercy and Mark Ferguson, both of whom assisted with concrete work;

Ken Pratt, who was responsible for plumbing, inside and out;

Jack Thomas, Jerry and Betty Hoing, Bill and Donna Rexius and Bill and Larea Lefler, all original RGA members who helped.