NW Franklin News

The Hilliard community is invited to take the next step down the Road to Recreation as we break ground on the future Recreation and Wellness Campus.

Officials will break ground April 14 with a speaking ceremony at 10 a.m. and a Touch-a-Truck event from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The event will be at the future site of Hilliard’s Recreation and Wellness Center at the Hilliard Soccer Complex, just west of Municipal Park on Scioto Darby Road. City officials, along with representatives with partnering agencies that include The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS), and various construction companies, will be part in the ceremony.

“This is one of the largest and most influential capital projects in Hilliard’s history,” said City of Hilliard City Manager Michelle Crandall. “We want the community to join us as we begin construction on a project that will play a defining role in our growing City’s future.”

The 105,000-square-foot Recreation and Wellness campus will include a gymnasium, indoor running track, fitness and weight room, aerobic dance and spin studios, classrooms, a 240-person community events room, commercial kitchen, child watch area, outdoor patio, and an aquatic facility that includes a lap pool, recreation activity pool, water slide, and spa.

“This new facility will be a gathering space for the entire Hilliard community,” said City of Hilliard Recreation and Parks Director Ed Merritt. “It will also allow us to expand our programming and events tremendously.”

In addition, nearly 25,000 square feet of space within the facility will be dedicated to an integrated medical health and wellness center managed by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The center will offer rehabilitation and physical therapy.

“When residents voted to support Issue 22, it was with the promise that one of the major benefits to this community would be a recreation center and more athletic fields. Breaking ground on this development is the realization of that promise,” said Crandall.

The entire community is encouraged to attend the April 14 event to learn more about the project, see the site of the future Recreation and Wellness Center, and explore the construction equipment building it.

The project is expected to be completed in 2025. For more information, visit hilliardohio.gov.

Original source can be found here.