RACINE — The Root River Environmental Education Community Center in Racine has permanently closed its location at 1301 West Sixth St. after nearly two decades of connecting the community with the Root River.
"The whole premise of it was repeated exposure to the environment helps build stewardship in people's minds," said John Skalbeck, who helped start the center, commonly known as the rec, in 2007.
The REC was the only place in the city of Racine where the public could rent kayaks and canoes to get on the Root River.
"We came up with this idea, the Root River Environmental Education Community Center," said Skalbeck, a geoscientist with UW-Parkside.
The center began after the city approached UW-Parkside about the building, and UW-Parkside facilitated the center's offerings.
"It was really the city coming to us and saying, 'Hey, what might you be able to do with this building we have that had been a storage facility for maintenance equipment?'" Skalbeck said.
Watch: Outdoor access leaders discuss community center closure, opportunities to access the Root River in Racine Co.
Over the years, 42,000 visitors utilized the site, including 22,000 Racine Unified students and about 9,000 paddlers.
The REC ultimately closed because the building was no longer safe.
"The Department of Public Works' Building Division has identified numerous structural issues and recommended that it be ultimately razed. That recommendation may be considered as a part of the 2027 budget process," City of Racine Communications Director Leslie Flynn said in an email.
When the REC posted on Facebook that it would not be opening for the 2026 summer season, dozens of people commented — some asking why, others sharing memories of the center.
Skalbeck said he sees the closure as an opportunity to work more closely with River Bend Nature Center.
"I'm looking at it as this opportunity to now to engage more closely with Riverbend," he said. "Riverbend has a long history of environmental education programs, boat rentals, engaging the community with the river."
River Bend Nature Center, located at 3600 N. Green Bay Road in Caledonia, sits on the Root River and is about five minutes from downtown Racine. The center offers outdoor access and education year-round and is helping the REC continue its work.
"They're continuing to give the programs they had commitments for here. It's been great," said Jeanne Dernehl, executive director of River Bend Nature Center.
River Bend offers summer camps, guided nature hikes, paddling lessons and boat rentals to the public.
"Our mission is to provide environmental education and outdoor recreation for the children, families and adults in Racine and southeastern Wisconsin," Dernehl said.
These offerings are not new but gain importance in the light of the REC's closure.
"I think that it's really, really important for people to gain a sense that they belong, they are part of nature, and they belong here," Dernehl said.
Dernehl encourages former REC visitors to utilize River Bend's offerings.
"So absolutely come here, we have boats, we have lessons. We have everything that a family or an individual would be looking for," she said.
River Bend Nature Center is open every day of the week for visitors. Specific information about programs, rentals and other offerings can be found at riverbendracine.org.
According to the city, Mayor Cory Mason helped establish the REC while in the state legislature.
"While the current building may no longer be viable, it is his hope to find a new location and a renewed partnership that would once again connect our community to the river that runs through it," Flynn said.
Several city parks located along the Root River do have boat launch sites, but no rental opportunities.
Skalbeck also said UW-Parkside would be open to another location along the Root River or Lake Michigan and is working to continue partnerships developed through the REC.
"We're always looking for opportunities to educate and spread awareness about the environment. And we'll just look to see what the next chapter brings," he said. "Not the end at all."
The Racine Unified School District said WATERshed Program, its community partner that helped facilitate field trips, found an alternative location for the 2025-26 school year, which will likely continue for the 2026-27 school year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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