Rockingham County Board of Supervisors updates community on recreation center and leadership changes

On January 10, 2025By Littum

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors met Wednesday evening to provide an update on the long-awaited recreation center at Penn Laird, which has been in the works since 2023.

Assistant County Administrator for Development Casey B. Armstrong announced that Jan. 29 could be the tentative date for supervisors and select community members to tour the near-completed facility. The 80,000-square-foot indoor recreation center, which includes an indoor track, athletic fields, classrooms and an activity room, was originally approved in August 2023, but faced a temporary delay due to construction contracts. After resolving the issues, the board voted to move forward with the project.

“The tour later this month will give supervisors and the community a first-hand look at this state-of-the-art facility,” Armstrong noted during the meeting.

In addition to updates on the leisure centre, the board has made changes to its management. District Five Supervisor Joel Hensley was unanimously elected as the new board chair, while District Five Supervisor Leila Longcor was named vice chair.

Hensley, who joined the board at the end of 2023, took the opportunity to thank outgoing chairman Dewey Ritchie for his service over the past two years.

“There’s been a lot of change over the past two years and I think having you in this role has given some consistency. So again, I just want to say thank you to Mr. Ritchie,” Hensley said and elicited applause from the participants.

The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors elects new leadership annually, and Hensley’s appointment marks a new chapter as the county continues to develop important community projects like the Recreation Center.