This year, Upper Arlington and Grandview Heights will unveil a total of three new community facilities.
The much-anticipated Bob Crane Community Center (BCCC) is poised for its grand opening in Upper Arlington, and Grandview Heights will unveil a new Fire/EMS, Police and Administrative Services Facility and a Parks & Recreation center.
With both communities keeping the cities’ goals, values and needs in mind, these projects bring much more than facility upgrades; they provide gathering spaces essential for residents to connect, grow and thrive, each dedicated to the safety, health and wellness of the community they serve.
Bob Crane Community Center in Upper Arlington
In Upper Arlington, a new community center has been long-awaited.
City of Upper Arlington
“We’ve never had a gathering space like this and it’s something that the community has wanted for a really long time,” says Jessica Grisez, executive director of UA Community Foundation.
Plans for a new community center began in 2021 when the Foundation formed the Upper Arlington Community Center Capital Campaign Committee, which secured more than $8.1 million in private support, including a lead campaign gift of $2 million through a legacy donation on behalf of the late Loann Crane.
That donation led to the Center being named after the late Bob Crane, Loann’s husband, a long-time UA resident remembered for his giving spirit and love for sports and his community.
City of Upper Arlington
As for the rest of the funding and costs of operation, the City uses a combination of debt and cash financing. The City will issue income tax revenue bonds which will be repaid through various sources, including tax increment financing funds.
The Community Center was also sustainably designed to include rooftop solar panels, which will save an estimated $50,000 per year, lowering operation costs.
The five-floor, 165,446-square-foot facility offers new and exciting features for residents of all ages. It will include an indoor pool and playground, multiple spaces for fitness and exercise, three gymnasiums, a walking and running track and locker rooms. There will also be a rentable event center, program classrooms, several meeting/multi-purpose rooms, a café, a child-watch area, an e-sports room, a senior lounge, an outdoor terrace and patio as well as an art gallery.
A space for all
The Community Center is located within the Kingsdale Mixed-use Project area, on Tremont Road. It will be open from 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekends.
Diligently designed to cater to all, the Community Center will ensure accessibility and inclusivity.
There will be 277 parking spots available – including 37 limited mobility spaces and 12 ADA spaces – 36 bike racks, and three bus route connections located nearby.
Membership prices were chosen with affordability in mind, and the Play UA Financial Assistance Program is available for residents facing financial barriers who wish to frequent the Community Center.
The Community Center will also offer employment opportunities for residents. UA Parks & Recreation is currently looking to fill part-time positions at BCCC.
Forty years in the making, according to Grisez, the opening of the BCCC this spring will be a “dream come true” for UA’s committed community members and is sure to foster a healthier and more connected community for years to come.
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City of Grandview Heights Fire/EMS, Police and Administrative Services Facility and Parks & Recreation Facility
Similar to Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights recognized the need for community service improvements and expansions due to substantial growth. The 2007 Parks Master Plan and the 2019 Community Plan identified an urgent need for more green spaces, new communal meeting spaces and expanded safety services.
In 2022, the City began working on schematic designs for the new Fire/EMS, Police and Administrative Services Facility as well as the new Parks & Recreation Facility.
“[This project] is essentially the last project that was envisioned by our 2007 Parks Master Plan,” says P’Elizabeth Koelker, director of planning and community development.
City of Grandview Heights
The project consists of three phases:
- Phase 1: Construct a new Grandview Center at the McKinley Shelter site.
- Phase 2: Construct a new Fire/EMS, Police and Administrative Services Facility at the southeast corner of Goodale Boulevard and Grandview Avenue
- Phase 3: Expand Wyman Woods Park to adopt the “top of the hill” site, the site of the current Municipal Building.
Until the project is complete in mid-2025, the existing Grandview Center will remain open. Once the Parks & Recreation Facility is open, the existing center will be demolished to make way for an access drive to the new fire equipment bays and public parking plaza.
City of Grandview Heights
According to Koelker, the locations for the new buildings were strategically chosen because they allow for the best leverage of the land available.
The new Parks & Recreation Facility, no longer isolated, will have the advantage of being embedded into a larger campus. Meanwhile, the Fire/EMS, Police and Administrative Services Facility will be removed from a residential area and placed at a major intersection that will allow for quicker access in any direction.
The “icing on top of the cake,” Koelker says, is that the location changes will also return the “top of the hill” site to the community as part of Wyman Woods Park.
Making it happen
According to Megan Miller, director of finance, the Municipal Building was funded by the $25 million 2022 Bond Issue 32, passed by voting residents, alongside the City’s cash reserves. The cash reserves fully funded the Parks & Recreation Facility. In the future, operational costs will be maintained by General Fund dollars.
Both buildings come with new features and programs beneficial for workers and residents alike.
The new Parks & Recreation Facility will allow for better incorporation of the outdoors, programs for a broader age range, rental opportunities and a new Heritage Trail opportunity.
“Grandview is a very neighborhood-centric community,” says Director of Parks & Recreation Mike Patterson, “and this public space is another opportunity for them to gather, meet and grow together.”
The new Fire/EMS, Police and Administrative Services Facility will not only allow for faster emergency response but will also give first responders a safer and healthier atmosphere with more space to train.
“If we’re happy (and) healthy, if we can get out the door right away, and we’re trained and ready to go… we’re going to be able to do our jobs a lot better,” says Fire Chief Greg Eisenacher.
Overall, Koelker says the highlight of the new buildings will be that the City employees will work together in the same space, promoting better communication, more comradery and efficiency.
Designed to last the next century, according to both Koelker and Eisenacher, the new buildings are set to grow with Grandview Heights and the surrounding region for years to come.
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Ella Jay is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ejay@cityscenemediagroup.com.
