New Tampa has its first county-operated indoor recreation center after Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, District 2, and other officials cut the ribbon Monday, June 29, on the $8.6 million Cross Creek Recreation Center. The 16,000-square-foot facility, located at 19019 Bassett Creek Drive next to Pride Elementary School, serves the New Tampa area of District 2.
Construction took about three years, according to Tampa Bay Beacons reporting. Hagan said the broader effort dates to his first term in office in 2002.
New gymnasium, fitness room and meeting spaces fill the facility
The rec center features a full-size basketball gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, classrooms and a public meeting space. A fitness room is part of the building but has not yet been stocked with equipment. Recreation supervisor Kim Gilchrist and assistant recreation supervisor Alex Spacone oversee day-to-day operations.
Adults 18 and older can purchase a Wellness Access Pass for $10 a month plus taxes, which grants access to the fitness center, open gym activities including pickleball, badminton and volleyball, and select classes at county recreation locations.
Park upgrades add new playground, trails and osprey nesting platforms
Beyond the building, the 15-acre park's playground was completely replaced with a new play area, and crews added shade shelters, outdoor basketball courts, a walking trail with benches, a pavilion, a parking lot and upgraded stormwater management.
Two osprey nest platforms were installed at the suggestion of local sisters Sloane and Bellamy Dera. A sign on one of the poles is dedicated to the girls, who asked whether the platforms could provide homes for native ospreys.
Center opens 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays; summer camps already full
Cross Creek Park is open daily from dawn to dusk. The recreation center is open 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Summer camps launched at opening and were already full for summer 2026. Year-round programming for children and adults is planned.
For more information, call 813-744-5978 or visit FLHillsboroughweb.myvscloud.com.
Hagan says project traces back to gaps he noticed raising his own family
Hagan, who grew up in Carrollwood and later raised his family in Cross Creek, said the project fulfilled a goal he set more than two decades ago.
"When I was in college, I spent my summers working in the same county park in Carrollwood I grew up playing in," Hagan told Neighborhood News. "Then, when I was raising my family in Cross Creek, I realized that we didn't have any county park facilities."
His original plan was to partner with the city of Tampa on a large park at K-Bar Ranch, but the city did not proceed. Hagan redirected the funding, splitting it between renovations at Branchton Park on Morris Bridge Road and construction of the Cross Creek center. K-Bar Ranch is now getting a separate city of Tampa park.
