ZEBULON - The town opened its newly renovated community center to the public Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the morning and open house in the afternoon.

Those that haven't seen the inside of the building might not think it's at all the same building as the former Armory.

"I heard someone say that earlier today," said Chris Ray, director of public works and project manager of the community center facelift, on the day of the center's opening. "It turned out great. Everything fell into place and it worked out like it was supposed to, and that rarely happens."

Now the parks and recreation department can do much more than it used to when functioning out of several locations, and then some.

"We never owned our own indoor athletic facility, but we can do it all here," Parks and Recreation Director Greg Johnson said. "We have everything from recreational to educational and healthful living facilities, we can provide banquets and wedding receptions - we can just serve a lot of needs we haven't been able to serve in the past."

The upgrade provides more room for storage, which is pertinent to any parks and recreation department, but the real advantage is found in the amenities the community can gain from.

The main floor, or gymnasium, can be cut in half with a drop-down curtain if two activities needed to be held at one time. That's just one of the technological enhancements added in the new building.

There are six retractable basketball goals that can be lowered for kids, brought back to 10 feet for adults or raised all-together for special events, and retractable curtains that can drop and rise at the touch of a button if a certain event - like watching the 10'x10' drop-down projection screen - called for it. There are also TVs mounted in every activity room of the building, like in the art room, the weight room and the two fitness rooms.

Ray said it's the extra things like the projection screen that make him most proud of the revamped center.

"I'm just excited for the kids, like on movie night," Ray said with a full grin. "They can come in here and get some popcorn and get a soda and get off the streets and stay out of trouble. I'm just really excited for the community."

Johnson said those perks heighten the immediate appearance of the community center, but he remembered how things used to be when recreation functions were held in the Armory.

"The Armory was always hot in the summer, cold in the winter," he said. "This is much more soft and a much more inviting environment for the programs we want to put on."

Everything will now be different in terms of capacity. Johnson said Zebulon Parks and Recreation will likely offer three times the amount of programs in the coming year and the goal is to have at least one event per day for every age group.

"Bottom line is kids love to have fun," he said. "This gives everybody a central location to come play and socialize."