As families continue to move to Delaware County in search of quality schools and more space, they are also looking for recreational activities for their children.
Swimming pools and new athletic fields are currently being built to meet that demand in one of Ohio’s fastest-growing counties — but it’s the private sector that is leading the way, not the public entities.
A year ago, Powell residents Laurie and Rick Karr said they saw the need and began work on a new indoor swimming facility in a former bean field in the borough of Berlin, east of the city of Delaware.
Read More: Powell Couple Responds to Delaware County’s “Pole-Poor”
But the Karrs have faced delays in securing sewage for their proposed 50,000-square-foot facility at 1895 Peachblow Road, just west of railroad tracks that require approval to drill underneath. About two-thirds of the site would contain offices or commercial space; the balance would be for the pool.
The project is estimated to cost $15 million, funded by personal and bank financing.
The couple has since begun construction on another indoor pool, this one in a former church at 168 E. Olentangy St. in downtown Powell.
Both projects are awaiting approval from the Ohio Department of Health, which regulates public and private swimming pools.
Laurie Karr is founder and head coach of Buckeye Swim Club, located in a now vacant hotel at 888 East Dublin-Granville Road on the north side of Columbus. She called the city and surrounding communities “very poor pool.”
A former competitive swimmer, she imagines swimming clubs and competition groups renting the pool facilities she and her husband are building for practice and swimming competitions. She would like to keep the Buckeye Swim Club, leased from a private developer, for swim teams and swim instruction.
The proposed facilities must be carefully monitored to ensure their profitability, said Rick Karr, who also works for the Delaware County Treasurer’s Office.
“Every minute they are not used does not support the operation of the facility,” he said. Less popular hours can be programmed with stand-up paddleboard yoga, water aerobics, or water therapy.
Land-based sports facilities are also being developed in Delaware County.
Adjacent to the sprawling Evans Farm residential community in the townships of Orange and Berlin, developers recently paved the way for the Jennings Sports Park, a $50 million football, baseball, softball and other sports complex in Orange Township. .
The project, envisioned more than four years ago, was delayed for years due to financing problems from previous investors. It was initially expected to cost about $20 million.
Read more: Planned sports mecca ready in Delaware County
The new plans include an indoor pavilion with food, toilets and other amenities; four rectangular multisport fields; six baseball and softball fields; and heated batting cages. All pitches are lit, have artificial grass suitable for year-round play and technical facilities such as digital video cameras.
“Our goal is to open in November 2023, but I can’t promise that,” said Corry Morris, a Brad Jennings partner at Jennings Land Development of Westerville.
As the county approaches a quarter of a million residents, local Delaware County YMCAs, outdoor pools, and Preservation Parks are heavily used, along with municipal multi-use trails consistently ranked as a high priority in community surveys.
But organized athletics has become complicated and expensive, and the public sector isn’t equipped to provide competitive playgrounds, said Ryan Rivers, a former Orange Township board member and a board member of the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission.
“Youth sports are just so much more of a business than in previous generations,” Rivers said. “It’s too much for the local government to handle.”
That said, there are several nearby parks, including North Road Park, west of Evans Farm, which are suitable for pick-up football and soccer games or use of a playground for younger children.
