Wadsworth Community Center status

For those of you who have taken a peek behind the existing high school, you have seen that the new high school and community center complex is really coming along! As we can all attest, it was a very wet spring and snowy/icy winter. Although allowing for poor weather is considered during the planning process, because of the extreme weather we have experienced, to date, the project has lost 63 days of construction time. The weather has been more typical lately, however, so construction activity has increased and the construction team and the schools are working hard to make up the time that was lost.

The city is currently in the process of deciding on the FF&E (fixtures, furniture and equipment) for the community center. The city and the architects are working with the YMCA for the equipment needs for recreation, as well as the needs for the library, WCTV, and the Senior Center. Summa Wadsworth - Rittman Hospital is also working on this. Other recent topics of consideration have included technology within the facility, and signage for the building and at the road.

Upcoming will be meetings with the Operational Committee and the Scheduling Committee for the center. The facility will be completed in a year, so it is time to get these committees together to start looking at the operational and scheduling aspects for the center.

Recently, council approved the funding to start the outdoor pool preliminary design. It is anticipated to start the initial design process in the near future, which would include a series of design charrettes with the community.

One item I want to talk about, in regard to the new community center, is the closing of Steiner Youth Center. I addressed this last year, but want to discuss it again, as a few individuals have asked about the timing and decision process of the closing and demolition.

Initially, it was anticipated that the Steiner building would be able to remain intact until the new facility was completed. But, after months of working through the refinement of the design phase, it became apparent that for a number of reasons which would impact construction, logistics, safety and financial aspects, the city would need to demolish Steiner Youth Center earlier than originally thought. The decision to close the center was a difficult one, but looking back, it was a prudent one made by the city to lead to the completion of the new center in a timely and cost effective manner.

We have been grateful to the schools, who have provided space to allow for services during the transition. I enjoy walking for exercise and have seen many take advantage of the walking and exercise area in the high school that are designated for community members. Additionally, we are appreciative of the schools for providing Central Intermediate School as a central point for services for our young people this summer.

I join you in looking forward, with much anticipation, to a wonderful new facility that will serve the needs of our community. This is an exciting time for all of us, and I look forward to watching this project progress over the coming months. For those of you who would like additional information, Assistant Service Director Harry Stark has begun WCTV programs on the building progress for the new center. The meetings can be viewed on WCTV, or you may also access them online by going to http://my.pegcentral.com/.

Until next week...