'A great facility for everyone': Streetsboro community center breaks ground

Accompanied by the senior citizens who have relocated three times in recent years, Streetsboro officials broke ground on the community center they hope to open in about a year.

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City leaders hailed the $3.2 million building as a permanent home for senior programming − something older adults haven't had since they moved from the former City Hall in 2018. The structure also will feature a space that will accommodate 150 people, large enough for weddings, banquets and "all those things going out of the city," Mayor Glenn Broska said.

Parks and Recreation Director Greg Mytinger said the building is expected to open in spring 2024.

Broska said city leaders began planning for the facility two years ago, after dedicating a new fire station and service garage. The city, he said, has invested $40 million in infrastructure, such as roads, but because of grant funding, limited its investment to 8% of the cost.

That, he said, helped Streetsboro have capital improvement dollars to pay cash for the community center.

"We have not and will not borrow a single dime to pay for it."

The seniors, many of whom attended Thursday's groundbreaking, now meet in the annex building for the Streetsboro school district, which is near the construction site for the community center. It is the third location the seniors have occupied since the move from City Hall.

"It was sometimes hard to find them, ya know," Broska said.

Last fall, Mytinger presented an early draft of the community center plan to City Council. Council members complained that the building was too small and lacked amenities that would make it a more attractive destination.

Architects from LevelHeads Architects amended the design, expanding the structure to 7,400 square feet, including an event space that will seat up to 150 people when set up with tables and chairs. The space also can be divided into three rooms for day-to-day activities. The facility includes a back porch that overlooks the wooded area behind it, which will include a fire pit.

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"Together we focused on needs instead of wants," Mytinger said. "I think it's going to be a great facility for everyone. In the days and months ahead, we will witness the transformation of this site."

Christopher Trotta from LevelHeads acknowledged that his firm first presented a commercial-looking design for the building.

"With council and the mayor's input, that was transformed into the rendering you see today," he said, gesturing to a large rendering on display at the site.

Last year, Streetsboro had envisioned a "City Complex," which was to include a new City Hall, a field house and splash pad near the new fire station on state Route 43, where the former City Hall was located. But since then, the city decided to move the community center to the City Park property off Kirby Lane.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Streetsboro community center breaks ground