Westerville OH Real Estate

The Columbus Dispatch

Saturday January 28, 2012 6:08 AM

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Shari Lewis | DISPATCH

Swimmers hang on for a quick rest before pushing off during a swimming lesson on Thursday at the Worthington Community Center. From left are Lauren Fedorko, 5; Anna Tinnerello, 5; and Joey Paschal-Igel, 6. The city recovers 78.3 percent of the cost of running the center.

In the mid-1990s, the economy was
surging, the suburbs were expanding and cities were looking to accommodate their fitness-crazed
residents.

Today, 10 years after most of the area’s modern recreation centers opened, cities report that
they’re thriving.

And Whitehall, planning to build a $10 million recreation center — a project made possible only
by the passage of an income-tax increase two years ago — is looking to its suburban counterparts
for reassurance.

Similar centers in Dublin, Groveport, Westerville and Worthington appear to be more successful
than the national average.

As aging outdoor swimming pools became expensive to maintain, flashy modern recreation centers
were sprouting up, said Bill Beckner, research manager for the Virginia-based National Recreation
and Parks Association.

“And with year-round usage, there was a model out there that said that you could at least
recover part of your expenses.”

Few centers break even. In fact, the national average for cost recovery is about 65 percent,
said Beckner.

Membership fees alone aren’t enough to pay the bills.

Westerville recoups less than a third of its $2.8 million operating costs from memberships.
Dublin recoups about one-fourth.

When Worthington opened its community/recreation center 10 years ago, city leaders hoped that
healthy membership fees would offset expenses.

“There was a sense that the facility would generate a high percentage of income in order to help
pay itself,” said former Worthington City Councilman Courtney Chapman.

Today, less than half of its expenses are covered by memberships.

Instead, it’s revenue from programs — aerobics and swim classes, birthday parties and special
events — that fills the financial gap, minimizing subsidies from the city.

“I’m not suggesting that they should have to break even,” Beckner said. “But getting $8 back in
every 10 that you spend, and getting all the benefits of being a modern community with great
facilities, is well worth it.”

Local directors are quick to point to the intangible benefits of modern rec centers: enticing
residents and businesses to relocate, raising property values near the facilities, improving
quality of life, and health benefits for those who use them.

With program revenue included, Dublin, Westerville and Worthington recoup about 75 percent of
their costs. Groveport Recreation Center even pocketed about $30,000 in profit last year.

Still, not all cities are ready to take the plunge.

“We have not seen the groundswell of people coming forward saying this is what we need,” said
Tony Collins, Gahanna’s parks and recreation director. Instead, surveys show that residents want a
network of bicycle trails and upgrades to existing parks and playgrounds.

“They want to have other amenities, but they also can’t keep producing tax revenues,” Collins
said.

Whitehall promised its residents a recreation center if they approved a 0.5 percentage-point
increase to its 2 percent income tax in 2010. Residents obliged.

So the city acquired a 5-acre site from the National Park Service at no cost. Groundbreaking
could occur as early as 2014.

“We wouldn’t be contemplating this if the residents didn’t decide that tax increase,” said Steve
Carr, Whitehall’s parks and recreation director. The increase is expected to generate about $4
million in annual revenue.

dnarciso@dispatch.com