Decatur Recreation Center Animal Crackers

My review is based on a single activity I participated in, i.e., 'Wednesday Walk' organized by the Center, during my recent stay with my daughter in Decatur. The Walk was recommended by my daughter. First of all, I found the idea, and the concept itself is commendable. Larry, the coordinator/ guide who took us around, is a wonderful person. It was a bright, sunny spring day. There were about 15 participants. As I got to know, most of them were regular participants. They follow different routes within Decatur, covering approximately three miles. As we walked and I discussed with Larry, the purpose of the walks is ....to encourage healthy living, to admire nature, to get to know the neighborhood, etc.... The walk served all the purposes,and besides, I came back with positive vibes. It was a wonderful experience. Would love to join the walks again, along with my wife, whenever we come from India to stay with our daughter in Decatur.

I rented the Animal Cracker room (the one with the playground directly outside the door) for my child’s 4-year-old birthday party and booked it online 2–3 weeks in advance. The reservation required manager approval, and it took nearly one to two weeks of repeated phone calls just to get in contact with him and have the party confirmed. The party was scheduled from 1:00–3:00 PM. I arrived around 12:40 PM to set up and immediately noticed the floors were dirty and clearly had not been swept nor mopped. By the time we finished setting up, a good portion of our rental time had already passed, so I went to the office to ask about extending the time and paying extra. The older male staff member ( Joshua Hanks ) I spoke with had a very nasty and unprofessional attitude. He did allow us to stay until 3:40PM. However, around 3:20 PM—while we were already cleaning—he came into the room arms folded, demanding we shut the party down immediately. He stood there in a confrontational way instead of allowing us to finish cleaning. He then harassed my disabled grandmother by telling her to clean and remove trash, which was completely inappropriate and disrespectful. His tone toward my family was rude, and ended up arguing with multiple family members because of how he was speaking to us. As we were packing up and taking items to our cars, he stated, “I’ll be sure to recommend you don’t get your deposit back.” This was said even though we were being rushed out before we had the chance to properly sweep floors that were already dirty when we arrived. The floors did end up getting swept and he finally came to the realization that he couldn’t hold my deposit. Pictures were took of the aftermath of the room for my proof incase he decided to continue being an ass !! Very disappointing experience. Poor employment , lack of professionalism, and disrespect toward guests—especially elderly and disabled individuals. I would not recommend hosting a party here as long as Joshua Hanks is the host ! 💯 Just refund me my deposit please and thanks IMMEDIATELY!! Other than that the party was fun for the time we were there.. !

Clean friendly environment. Courts and staff are amazing.

What a celebration that we had at the Decatur Recreation Center the staff accommodated ...they were very professional very pleasant the center the recreation center was very clean anything that we needed assistance with everyone was very very willing to help and I must say .... maybe some of these other local cities can really learn ...I truly love the fact that they're open on Sundays as well what a treat I will be back thank you so much keep up the great work.

The recreation center was being used for early voting. My husband and I had a good experience. There was plenty of space for social distancing and the voting process was smooth.