SCOTTSVILLE, KY — After more than eight years of planning, fundraising, and community effort, Allen County officially has a new home for recreation and community gatherings.
The Cube — The Core’s Community Center — held its ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, marking the completion of a $5.2 million project that organizers say will serve as the de facto parks and recreation center for the entire South Central Kentucky region.
The more than 28,000-square-foot facility, located behind The Core of Scottsville, features four versatile courts designed for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, archery, soccer, and other activities. A dedicated activity room provides space for gymnastics, tumbling, and other programs, while a large meeting room serves as a hub for community gatherings, planning sessions, and events.
From Dream to Reality
“We had a track inside there, so the classes had music and everything blaring. You had coaches trying to coach, and when you got a track above the gym and you got little kids trying to be coached, first thing they’re doing, their eyes are looking up,” said Ernie Stafford, executive director of The Core. “I said when I walked in and seen that, ‘There’s no way I would coach in this environment,’ so I went to the board, approached them about it, and they got on board.”
That was 2017. What followed was Project 330 — a campaign built on the concept of three years of intentional fundraising for 30 years of community impact.
The project hit a major milestone when the Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation announced a $1 million matching grant in January 2024. The community met that match goal in under a year. Additional major donors included the Halton Company with a $100,000 commitment and Service One Credit Union with $25,000.
‘Overlap Every Circle’
Cole Arvin, who served as Youth Sports Director and is now The Cube’s facility director, described the new space as transformative.
“Oftentimes people talk about my circle or this. We want to overlap every circle,” Arvin said. “What a perfect place to do it here. Get every social circle, every athletic club, every group, get them under one building. It’s going to build the community up better.”
Gym space went from one court to four, and The Cube will host basketball, indoor soccer, football, archery practice, dodge ball, capture the flag, and other activities.
The facility, which quietly opened to members on February 3, charges a $5 access fee. It sits adjacent to The Core, which opened in 1941 as Allen County High School before becoming a YMCA in 2000. The Core will continue to operate independently, with organizers emphasizing that membership fees have not increased in over seven years despite rising costs.
Regional Impact
“The Core has memberships in several counties and in a couple two or three counties in Tennessee, so this is a regional community center that just happens to be in Scottsville and Allen County,” said Katherine Sikora, executive director of the Laura Goad Turner Charitable Foundation. “It’s unique. No one else has it — once again, one more unique, awesome thing that’s going to be going on in Scottsville, Kentucky.”
Monday’s ribbon-cutting drew numerous Allen County residents, local officials, and supporters who helped make the vision a reality.
“This achievement would not have been possible without the incredible support from our community and the wider South Central Kentucky region,” organizers said.
The Cube is located at The Core of Scottsville. For more information, visit thecoreofscottsville.org.