The physical layout of the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany is as diverse as its various goals.
Finishing touches are now being put on the Heit Center. The fitness center component is scheduled to open Dec. 7, and the entire building will be open by Feb. 2.
To the visitor striding up to the center, the strong angles of the building complement the subdued but sturdy orange brick. A step or two into the building, the white ceilings with exposed beams give the space more room to breathe. The grass green walls highlight health and wellness.
Between offices on the first floor, large glass paneled walls or large curtains separate offices to dampen sound without enclosing any one space completely. These meeting rooms will host classes and programs that support the center’s objectives.
Mike Durik, interim director for the Heit Center, explains that input for community programming is being processed and prioritized. Collaboration with New Albany Parks and Recreation and the New Albany-Plain Local School District is under way to determine exactly what programming will be impleme
nted at the center.
“We cannot be specific about the program schedule right now, but we anticipate the programs will be focused on serving several categories such as preschool/youth, teen, adult, active adult and recreation. Active adult is generally retired and/or empty nesters,” says Durik.
Though community programming has not been nailed down quite yet, possible programs and classes will correspond to each of the center’s main concentrations:
- -Nutrition: cooking demonstrations, nutrition book club, weight management
- -Physical health: injury prevention, everyday physical activity, gardening
- -Mental and spiritual well-being: resilience, stress management, time management, service opportunities, intergenerational mentoring
- -Individual and community health: financial health, leadership, new parent classes
“We strive to maximize the lifelong benefits of health and wellness education and preventive activities by delivering innovative programs and events,” says Durik. “Healthy New Albany programming will be developed…to determine the best venue for services without duplication.”
While programming is still being established, the center itself is growing closer and closer to completion each day. Upon entering the center, a visitor can have a front-row seat to cooking demonstrations at the M/I Demonstrative Kitchen, in which a monitor will be set up so that people can see exactly what the chef is doing.
On one side of the building, two pools sit end to end: a lap pool and a therapeutic/exercise pool, the former larger in size. Aqua tiling will enclose the area, with locker rooms at one end.
Outside, a slate gray brick patio surrounds the west end of the building, providing a space for visitors to host social events. A fire pit sits in the middle, begging to be used in the colder months.
On the first floor, large glass windows and brightly colored walls adorn babysitting rooms, making child care available to busy parents.
Upstairs, the New Albany Family Practice physician offices coil around the perimeter of the building. Windows let in natural lighting, making the environment feel upbeat and alert. Nurse’s stations and X-ray rooms neatly dot the hallways. In partnership with The Ohio State University Wexne
r Medical Center, expert staff and health professionals will be available to patients.
Attention to health doesn’t stop there. A physical therapy room is located upstairs, promising sports medicine and rehabilitation services from the OSU Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. In addition, a basketball court sits at one end of the area, allowing the opportunity to see full range of motion in a realistic sports setting. Rubberized flooring surrounds the court in order to make free weight use possible. Diagonal to the court and the weights area, another room exists for exercise classes.
Corinne Murphy is contributing writer. Feedback welcome at tdufresne@cityscenemediagroup.com.
