Looking ahead to warm summer fun
Courtesy of city of Grove City
Hello, summer!
It might seem a bit premature to talk about summer when our calendars have not yet flipped to the months that bring the most sun and warmth to a barefoot time of year. Yet, it is actually the best time to set our sights on the summer season.
The Grove City Parks and Recreation Department works all year on plans for activities to keep our community engaged, especially for long summer days when we can gather outside. From annual celebrations and concerts to summer splashing and youth sports, each year proves more exciting than the last.
The 2021 Grove City LittleLeague baseball season was highlighted by the 12U All-Star Team representing GroveCity in the Ohio District 6 LittleLeague Tournament. Little League hosts an international tournament each year, which is the most widely known youth sports tournament in the world. The team finished second in the district with a 3-2 record, the best finish for a Grove City team since rejoining Little League in 2013.
With a proud youth baseball history dating back to the early 1900s, Grove City was one of five central Ohio communities that joined Little League in 1950 with four teams for boys ages9-12. In 1998, the City took over organization of local youth baseball and reestablished affiliation with the LittleLeague organization in 2013. Each year more than 700 boys and girls ages 5-17participate in our spring-summer Little League baseball program. Baseball season kicks off this year during the FridayNight Grand Slam at Windsor Park, 6 p.m., Friday, April 29.
Grove City Buddy Ball welcomes another year of baseball fun for kids and adults of all abilities when the first pitch is thrown this spring. The nonprofit organization gives more than 160children and adults from all over central Ohio a chance to make friends and play baseball on a specially designed field at the Mirolo Dream Field at MountCarmel Stadium in Windsor Park. The league welcomes players, buddies and volunteers. Visit GCDreamField.com for more information.
We can’t talk about summer without mentioning the Big Splash! Crews are working on improvements for the 2022 swim season, including painting the water slides and installing a television. The City will continue its partnership with SwimSafe Pool Management for 2022 and currently plans to maintain season pass-holder and guest entry policies in place last season for the safety of all residents and staff.
And finally, one of our most visited playgrounds is undergoing an exciting upgrade. Work has begun at the Discovery Frontier Playground at Fryer Park and will continue through the spring and summer as new play structures and climbing equipment are installed. Late last year, the City submitted a detailed capital grant funding request to Ohio through State Senator Stephanie Kunze and Ohio State Representative Laura Lanese. If approved by the Legislature, the funding will greatly support the project and finance additional play structure upgrades for the enjoyment of all who visit.
While I’m not wishing away winter or intentionally fast-forwarding through spring, I am looking ahead to summer and all the fun it brings to the community.
Mayor Stage Signature
Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage
Department Spotlight
Grove City’s Public Service Department Among An Elite Group
Courtesy of city of Grove City
Though crews work tirelessly throughout the year, the GroveCity Public Service Department is most certainly on the forefront of everyone's mind when the snow falls or when road work is underway. Yet there's much more to the Department that directly impacts our community’s quality of life.
The City is fortunate to have a small army of talented engineers, managers and associates serving the public with quiet dedication, constantly improving the community for present and future generations. Most of them are GroveCity residents as well, proudly taking care of their hometown.
Public service departments are considered part of the official ranks of first responders by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s guidelines for disasters. The Grove City team takes that role very seriously, attending disaster training alongside local police and fire departments and providing the skills, tools and professional experiences to assist first-responder partners.
The Public Service Department is responsible for the operation and maintenance of 360 lane miles of roadways,520 miles of pipe, more than 3,500streetlights, 6,700 signs and 55 traffic signals. Additionally, the Department manages the review of engineering plans, construction and inspection of all private development projects and public capital improvement projects. With roughly 2,000 new single-family homes planned for construction and numerous commercial and multi-family development spending, public infrastructure responsibilities continue to grow.
Further proving their dedication to residents and visitors, the Grove CityPublic Service Department was recently awarded Full Accreditation from the American Public Works Association(APWA), a prestigious honor held by only six other agencies in Ohio and 202in North America. The voluntary and self-motivated method of acquiring accreditation is a five-phase, multi-year process that drives the Department to objectively assess, verify and recognize compliance with APWA’s recommended management practices.
APWA accreditation formally recognizes compliance with national standards and acknowledges the Grove CityPublic Service Department team is a devoted group of hard-working individuals. It is a privilege to have them serving the residents of Grove City.
Council Briefs
Oh, to be a kid again!
Courtesy of city of Grove City
Grove City Council members: Randy Holt, Ward2; Christine Houk, Ward 3; Ted Berry, CouncilPresident, Ward 1; Mark Sigrist, At-Large; andRoby Schottke, Ward 4.
In this edition of Discover Grove City, you will find many highlights about the Grove City parks and programs available to your family. Grove City offers more than 100 programs that focus on arts, education, physical activities and a variety of other categories – something everyone can find an interest in. I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities provided for you and your children to enjoy our parks and engage in a few programs. Kids thrive when given an opportunity to play outdoors, and everyone benefits from the social interaction.
Grove City has over 459 acres of green space, and 29 parks for you and your kids to enjoy. When I was a kid, pretty much all we did was follow the shade around the house. We would jump on the trampoline, invent games,and of course, play the normal games of tag and baseball. We were active. Mom would call us for lunch at about noon. In the afternoon, it was more of the same, waiting to be called for dinner. After dinner we could go back outside and didn't have to report in until the streetlights came on.
Our only park options at the time were Windsor Park and Evans Park. Splash parks and big playgrounds were only things we could dream of. Climbing bars and swings were mostly relegated to the school playgrounds. Going to the school playground in the summer never made sense to us; we didn’t want to go back there until we had to.
Cell phones and electronic media have changed the entire dynamic of kids playing and what they do with their free time. I encourage you to explore the outside playtime, exercise, sports and programs available to you. It will enrich your whole family.
Grove City will continue to provide more green space and parks for our residents in 2022. Work has already begun on the update and improvement of the Discovery Frontier Playground at FryerPark. It will be the perfect place to visit with opportunities for all for an escape.
Randy Holt Council Member, Ward 2
Expanding Amenities and Services for Families
All new residential developments are required to dedicate ground for open space. Projects approved since2015 provide more than 150 acres of new open space for active and passive recreational opportunities, allowing the City to continue growing its park and trail network. Working in collaboration with the South-Western City SchoolDistrict, land was secured in the Farmstead and Beulah Park developments for new schools to service the growing population and provide additional amenities to residents.
The new Beulah Park MiddleSchool, replacing Brookpark MiddleSchool, is located south of the ParkStreet extension at Demorest Road and opening to students for the 2022-23school year. An 11-acre site within the Farmstead development, along the extension of Hawthorne Parkway betweenBuckeye Parkway and State Route 104, is reserved for a new elementary school.
While new parks are frequently the result of collaboration with new residential projects, the development of childcare facilities is primarily market-driven. Since the summer of 2020, three new childcare centers have been approved and located throughout the community. Stepping Stones Child Careon Stringtown Road, Balanced FamilyAcademy on Hoover Road and KiddieAcademy on Buckeye Parkway have all recently opened or anticipate opening in the coming months to provide childcare to Grove City families.
The City of Grove City is dedicated to providing the services needed to support the growing population. Our Parks and Recreation Department is updating their Programming Plan, a process that involves public input to ensure programming meets the evolving needs and desires of the community. This effort, in conjunction with the new parks and open spaces available from new development, as well as new schools, illustrates Grove City’s continuing commitment to serve as a welcoming community for kids and individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
