If something seems different about the small assembly room at the Ceres Community Center that doubles as the City Council Chambers, look down at the floor.

The city decided to remove the room of its carpeting and replace it with an artificial wood flooring material.
The cost of disposing of the old carpet and the materials and labor came to $17,000.

When the center was constructed and finished in 2009, city officials installed carpet for the room. But because the room was used for small receptions of between 50 and 100 people where food was often served, cleaning the carpet became labor intensive.

"It's been an issue with the recreation staff from day one with just the amount of janitorial time associated with cleaning it," said City Engineer Toby Wells.

The new floor was seen for the first time at the Aug. 6 National Night Out event held at the center.

Located at 2701 4th Street in downtown Ceres, the $6.8 million facility covers 25,623 square feet.

The center has hosted wedding receptions, parties, luncheons, dinners, corporate outings, dances, family gatherings, picnics, meetings, exhibitions, special events and community-wide celebrations.

Reservations for use of the Center can be made through the Recreation Division.

Available rooms are: Large Assembly, Small Assembly, Kitchen, Conference Room, Classroom, Meeting Room, Senior Room and Patio Area.