The Neil D. Baisi Athletic Center in Montgomery has been several different things over the years, first as West Virginia Tech’s athletic facility before the university moved to Beckley. Then, it became the Upper Kanawha Valley YMCA before it closed at the beginning of the pandemic. Now the city wants to turn it into a community center, but that will require funding and community support buy-in. That is why they opened up the doors to the center on Saturday to show the public the vision. WCHS TV talked to Montgomery Mayor Greg Ingram who said the goal is to turn the 50-year-old building into the Montgomery Recreation and Aquatic Center. Right now, the building is only being used by the Mountaineer Challenge Academy next door for their indoor training. The overall goal is for WVU to eventually give the city the center, but Montgomery does not want full ownership until repairs are made. The city and WVU have asked the governor’s office for $1.6 million. Ingram is hoping for a soft opening in the next 90 days.