The project to replace the old Lincoln Square Recreation Center in Oakland’s Chinatown recently got a $9.25 million boost from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. 

The new 22,000-square-foot Community Resilience and Recreation Center will cost up to $50 million and will replace the current center that was built in the 1970s, according to an announcement from Mayor Sheng Thao. 

The new center will serve as a cooling and warming center during periods of extreme weather, a clean air center for poor air quality days, and an emergency information center.

It will feature backup power from solar panels for charging phones and medical devices during power outages, a commercial kitchen, restrooms and showers. 

“I am grateful to the California Department of Food and Agriculture for developing this grant opportunity and to the City staff and community partners whose innovative approach to resilience helped secure these critical funds,” Thao said.

Construction is expected to start in the fall of 2024. 

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.