Mayor’s Message
The Next Level in Community Service
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Mayor Richard L. "Ike" Stage
Grove City continues to advance as a full-service community through consistent planned growth and development, while adhering to our goal of retaining the City’s small-town charm as one of Ohio’s most livable hometowns. With effective planning comes an increasing need for more convenient access to extended health care services.
This need will be met in multitude over the coming weeks, with the opening of several much-anticipated health facilities: OhioHealth Grove City Surgery Center, OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital, Mount Carmel Grove City Hospital and other medical office buildings supporting well-being services, follow-up care and veterans’ health. We are thrilled our community has assured access to the best medical services in central Ohio.
The OhioHealth Grove City Surgery Center, providing ambulatory outpatient surgery for a variety of needs, shares its eastern Stringtown Road campus with the OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital, an inpatient surgical hospital for patients in need of a brief overnight stay, as well as a full-service emergency department. The new facilities complement the long-standing Grove City Health Center at Gantz and Stringtown roads.
Mount Carmel’s seven-story, full-service hospital and accompanying medical office building, located on its 104-acre North Meadows Drive campus, will engage and guide patients and their families through inpatient or outpatient care and recovery. The location will also serve as headquarters for Mount Carmel’s Graduate Medical Education program.
We are also delighted the Department of Veterans Affairs Grove City Community Based Outpatient Clinic will move from Ohio Drive to a new medical office building on North Meadows Drive, doubling its current space and providing veterans with expanded medical services.
A positive healing environment is essential to good health, and being close to home and family is a valued advantage for patients within our community. The employment, commerce and financial benefits to Grove City are significant as well. The new medical and specialty services supporting the healthcare initiatives represent nearly 1 million square feet of new facilities and 1,900 jobs.
The community is also expanding housing stock to provide a complete array of living options accommodating all lifestyle needs, including new independent living facilities with incredible space, amenities and services.
Grove City offers first-class medical care close to home where a support system of family and friends can enhance recovery. All this while providing increased employment opportunities and a financial boost to our City, continuing to fulfill our goal of being a “full-service” city.
It’s smart growth like this that makes our community vibrant, provides more choices, good return on public investment and a legacy we can be proud to leave our children and grandchildren.
Discovering Our Past
What’s in a Name?
Grove City is rich with history and respect for family and community, evidenced by the names of many of its roads, parks and schools. The impact of Grove City’s founders is reflected on local maps with Grant, Breck, Beulah and others appearing across the grid.
In 1805, Hugh Grant Sr. of Pennsylvania purchased 450 acres to establish a homestead with his wife, Catharine. They became the first European settlers in the region. As an area known for its groves of various tree species, the vague land survey at the time identified their property as “beginning at the northeast corner of Survey 1383 at two white oaks and a black oak...,” which we now know as Haughn Road and Park Street. This is where the historic Grant-Sawyer Home stands today.
Nearly 40 years later, William Foster Breck, a merchant from Fairfield County, purchased 273 acres in Jackson Township for farming. Envisioning a self-sustaining community, he eventually bought 15 additional acres from the Grant family, divided it into plats and, in 1852, formed a new village, naming it “Grove City” after the area’s groves of trees.
The village nearly doubled in size by 1889 when Grant Jr. platted “Beulah’s Addition,” named after his daughter, on acreage of his own. Land was reserved within the addition for a community park which became the site for family activities and festivals. In 1923, the park was purchased to establish a thoroughbred racetrack and Beulah Park became Ohio’s first “Sport of Kings” track.
Grove City’s thoroughbred racing was soon coupled with greyhound dog racing, often referred to as the “Sport of Queens.” Located where Our Lady of Perpetual Help church and school stand today, the dog racing meets drew large crowds. However, the events soon came to an end as wagering on dog races struggled to gain legal backing in Ohio.
Attempting to revive the greyhound races a few years later, a local kennel club mounted a campaign to earn legalization of the sport. Seeking public support for its efforts, the group donated a significant amount of money to the Grove City High School athletic department. Although the efforts for support failed, the donation resulted in the school’s Greyhound mascot.
Council Briefs
Get to Know Your Council
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Roby Schottke, Ward 4; Christine Houk, Ward 3; Steve Robinette, President, At-Large; Jeff Davis, Ward 2; Ted Berry, Ward 1.
As President of Grove City Council, I welcome the opportunity to communicate Council’s continual work to improve our great community.
In addition to representing each of the city’s four wards, council members function as committee chairs to coordinate and steer legislation. Committee chairs are Jeff Davis, Finance; Roby Schottke, Lands; Christine Houk, Safety and Ted Berry, Service.
Council members also serve as liaisons to multiple Grove City organizations, boards and commissions within the community. Our partners include the Grove City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Town Center Merchants, Park Board and Historical Commission to name a few.
In the coming issues of Discover Grove City Magazine, you will hear from each council member to keep you informed regarding the management and direction of the City. Our goal is to ever enhance the livability of Grove City, support local businesses and welcome visitors to participate in the many attractions we offer.
As always, your support of the Grove City Council is greatly valued. We look forward to working with you to make our community even better.
President, Council Member At-large
As the council representative to the Grove City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Visit Grove City, Robinette recommends stopping in the new office and store on Broadway in historic Town Center to discover a sampling of Grove City’s local artists, businesses and other attractions.
