QUESTION: I happened to drive past the Kroc Center last week and noticed that all the construction fencing that had been visible in the parking lot was gone. Is the place back to full operation?

ANSWER: Full operation and then some, matter of fact.

You were correct in spotting the absence of work and those annoying fences in the lot. They’d been there for four months, as it turns out.

But the center — the proper name is the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center — not only hasn’t slowed down at all during construction, it now can show off a couple of very cool new features.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Ben Markham, a major in the Salvation Army who is the officer in charge of the facility. “We’ve added 2,000 square feet to the complex.

“Our child play-care area has effectively been doubled in size. We had a capacity of 48 previously, and now we can accommodate 96. That was a space where we really needed more room to work.”

The other new item should please all you physical fitness buffs who routinely show up before dawn to use the center’s two magnificent swimming pools and other equipment. You won’t have to freeze while waiting by the front door during the winter.

The center now has a new entryway, which is not only covered but heated when the weather demands it.

“We open at 5 in the morning,” said Susan Draper, a Kroc Center staff member, “and it’s routine to have quite a few people standing outside around 4:45.

“It just seemed logical that they shouldn’t have to freeze to death because they arrived a little early. The entryway now is pretty spectacular ... and it will be warm, which I’m sure those earlybirds will appreciate.”

Spectacular is actually a good description for all 130,000 square feet — sorry, now 132,000 square feet covering 12 acres — of the $80 million Kroc Center.

Characterized by the Salvation Army itself as a place for “gathering and enrichment” in the areas of education, sports, faith, arts and supportive programs, Coeur d’Alene’s center (one of 26 and just seven in the Army’s western region) was opened in May 2009.

“Anyone who is interested in the whole story, which really is fascinating, should get a book called ‘Ray and Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald’s Fortune and the Woman Who Gave It All Away,’” Markham said.

“Joan Kroc was enthusiastic about the work of the (Salvation) Army, and suggested the local branch in San Diego submit plans for a facility.

“They kept sending her proposals and she kept telling them to go for something bigger.”

Ultimately, Joan Kroc tossed an $85 million share into a stunning 220,000-square-foot center in her hometown, and she eventually donated $1.5 billion to the Salvation Army for more of these centers.

If you want to smile, consider: All that money for these terrific fitness and overall wellness facilities came from selling, um, less-than-healthy hamburgers and fries.

“There is some irony in that, definitely,” Markham said. “But it’s a pleasant irony.”