But with the news of Sinclair’s exit from Huber Heights, City Manager Rick Dzik said officials see this as an “unforeseen opportunity.”
“City staff realized the benefit of occupying space in a facility on city property and within close proximity to both the Eichelberger (Amphitheater) and Kroger Aquatic Center,” Dzik said this week. “Providing that space as the new senior center made the most sense due to the YMCA’s programming for our seniors (and) extensive parking availability.”
Dzik said the city is working with the original architects of the YMCA facility, along with the senior center’s leadership board, to determine necessary renovations, but said they don’t anticipate the need for major refurbishment.
The building will only need some “internal redesign,” which Dzik said will allow the new senior center to be ready sooner than was expected as part of the original Marian Meadows plan, though an exact opening date has yet to be determined.
The old senior center is on Chambersburg, just off Brandt Pike. Instead of moving a half-mile south on Brandt to the Marian Meadows redevelopment, it will move about 2.5 miles north on Brandt to the YMCA, on the north side of I-70.
Impact on Marian Meadows, city buildings
Dzik said the Marian Meadows redevelopment project, which will include a 288-apartment complex by Continental Properties and a new Governance Center, will remain largely the same on paper.
However, now, the Governance Center will house both the city council and city administration.
“The footprint of the Governance Center will not change, only how the interior of the facility is designed,” Dzik said.
Previous plans for this building included space for the senior center and some city staff and conference rooms.
The existing senior center on Chambersburg had been set to house the city tax and water departments, both of which (along with the city’s water utility contractor Veolia), are currently located in leased offices on Chambersburg Road.
Now, these three departments will be moved to what is currently City Hall.
“From the city’s perspective, this will eliminate our need to pay rent to a third party and provide a new income stream from Veolia as a tenant to the city,” Dzik said.
Once the current senior center transfers to its new YMCA location, that building will be sold.
Dzik said this reorganization of facilities will provide the city multiple money-saving opportunities.
“(The sale of the senior center) would provide a one-time injection of revenues, which could be directed at any number of council priorities,” he said. “Also, this sale would reduce the number of facilities maintained by the city, again reducing operational costs.”
Dzik noted that the proposed new senior center space at the YMCA is located within the Montgomery County Tax Increment Finance District, revenues from which can only be used on capital expenses (non-operational) which benefit the district.
“Because a long-term lease of the former Sinclair space is considered capital in nature, any improvements to the space to accommodate the senior use and to make lease payments can be made from TIF funds, and not from revenues which could otherwise go to operational expenses,” he said. “As a money-multiplier, our lease payments to the YMCA provide the Y with the resources necessary to maintain and update their Huber Heights facilities to better accommodate the needs of Huber Heights and the surrounding communities while keeping membership rates and fees appropriately priced for all YMCA at The Heights users.”
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