While the professionals inside the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany are a resource for the community, the building itself has also proven to be a boon.
The Heit Center has become a popular meeting spot for a variety of functions. Mike Durik, interim director for the Heit Center, says he’s pleasantly surprised at how many organizations and individuals are renting space.
The center’s conference room, kitchen, classroom, patio and fireplace are available to be rented, says Abbey Brooks, programming manager at the center. Brooks advises those interested to reserve spaces at least one month in advance.
Since the building’s opening in February, the Heit Center has received about 120 paid room reservations. Many people are attracted to the facility’s layout and finishes.
“You don’t have to dress it up,” Brooks says.
A number of local businesses have already used the center to hold trainings and presentations, she says. The New Albany Rotary Club and New Albany Chamber of Commerce hold monthly meetings there, several homeowners’ associations have held annual meetings and New Albany’s Village Coalition Against Hunger has also used the facility. Other suburban cities, intrigued by the facility, have requested tours.
The central location of the Heit Center was what made it a good choice for the Chamber’s monthly meetings, says Cherie Nelson, executive director.
“The room we utilize has state-of-the-art presentation technology, and the adjoining kitchen allows us to have lunch catered for the meeting as well,” Nelson says.
Angela Douglas, interim director of the coalition, says the group held a community meeting in front of the hearth in the Heit Center’s lounge area. Board members, along with the public, were invited to the event, which had about 25 people in attendance.
“It was a great facility, very welcoming and casual, which was the perfect setting for our forum,” Douglas says.
The lounge has worked for those organizations looking for a more relaxed atmosphere for their events, and the fireplace lends the area an intimate feel, Brooks says. The kitchen has been popular for organizations looking to serve meals during events.
“It’s just a very logical and attractive space,” Brooks says.
In April, the Ohio Nutrition Council and the Columbus Dietetic Association each used the center’s kitchen to host events. The Ohio Nutrition Council was primarily drawn to the location because of the kitchen and the center’s wellness staff resources, Brooks says.
Around that same time, New Albany-Plain Local School District Superintendent April Domine hosted a community chat in front of the fireplace in the lounge.
Patrick Gallaway, director of communications for the schools, says the district thought the Heit Center would be a perfect venue for one of the district’s chats, in which staffers talk to the community about issues important to parents. They typically meet at different locations across the district.
“I’m sure we’ll go back, because it was a great location for it,” Gallaway says.
In perhaps the biggest example of the center’s potential for community gathering space, the Columbus School for Girls’ lacrosse team used the building in a variety of ways during a team-building event. Team members used the conference room for a meeting area, ate breakfast in the kitchen, did a group craft together in the classroom and took a yoga class.
“They used the facility to its fullest,” Brooks says.
The community has also been using the center as a space for social gatherings. Parties for birthdays, babies, graduations, wedding anniversaries and wedding showers have been held at the Heit Center. And since the lounge is available to the community when it is not booked for events, individuals can use the space in their free time as well. Many people use the space to eat lunch, and mothers who come to the center for story time sit and chat together while their children are playing.
For more information about room rentals at the Heit Center, visit www.healthynewalbany.org.
Sarah Sole is editor of Healthy New Albany Magazine. Feedback welcome at ssole@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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