Huber Heights aquatic center on schedule

Huber Heights aquatic center on schedule

Memorial Day opening expected; amphitheatre may open in September.

Dayton Daily News
By Steven Matthews, Staff Writer
10:20 PM Monday, February 27, 2012

HUBER HEIGHTS — Two key pieces of the city’s future are on track to open later this year.

The Recreation & Aquatic Center and the amphitheater — being built off of Brandt Pike next to the YMCA — are still expected to open Memorial Day and Labor Day, respectively, city officials said.

A mild winter has played a major factor in uninterrupted construction of the aquatic center, while the construction of the amphitheater will heat up in the coming weeks.

The facilities sit on 35 acres near the Ohio 201 and I-70 interchange, and the land also includes the YMCA and five soccer fields.

Cost for the city is a combined $7 million — $6 million for the aquatic center, $1 million for the amphitheater — out of a regular TIF (Tax Increment Financing) fund set up in April 2003. Residents are not paying any new tax dollars.

“If we were to take it out of the general fund, we’d have to come up with some other source of revenue,” Huber Heights City Manager Gary Adams said. “With a TIF, you can take money generated within your district, and turn it into infrastructure for things like this without raising taxes. It’s a real benefit.”

The aquatic center’s features include: two 32-foot high slides, an 800-foot long lazy river, a six-lane pool, zero depth entry and a splash park. A concession area, party room, administrative offices and locker rooms also will be on site.

Construction started in July 2011, and the YMCA will oversee the day-to-day operations once it opens.

“This will be a high-quality, first-class facility,” said Ken Conaway, the on-site construction manager for 201 Corridor Management. “We are working with one of the leading architectural firms in aquatic park design (Brandstetter Carroll, Inc.), and the city took the time to figure out what the community is looking for. The city wants to make sure it serves the citizens’ interests.”

The amphitheater will be able to seat 350 in its tiered-grass elevation seating, but a grassy area behind it expands capacity to up to 1,000 people.

It has not yet been determined who will manage the amphitheater, which could host events such as concerts, plays, art and music festivals, school events, movie nights and Sinclair-related lectures.

“There will be something here for every age group,” Adams said. “It took the same vision for all of us to see what could happen for this area; to look down the road and have the imagination because of the assets the community has.

“There’s a lot of anticipation for both,” he added. “It’s a different kind of venue and a different kind of amenity for the citizens of the community.”

The aquatic center and amphitheater are part of the city’s vision for The Heights — a 150-acre upscale regional shopping, entertainment and professional office complex that could also include a research and development firm.

It’s a three-to-five year plan that’s six months into the planning stage.

“Our primary focus is the retail component, and that spurs all the other activity,” Conaway said. “We’re a half a year into the project already, and we’re continuing to talk and get interest from users. We’re working on a site plan for the first 15 acres that we’ve acquired, but I don’t know if we’re brave enough to start moving dirt before we have the first person in place. Certainly the goal is to move dirt this calendar year.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2281 or smatthews@coxohio.com.