By Hannah Poling
Staff Writer
According to Westland Area Commissioner Janet Cahill, the parks and recreation committee is going to start a letter-writing campaign to Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther about the need for a recreation center in the Westland Area.
The topic was discussed at the April commission meeting.
“We need to get residents to start complaining,” Cahill said.
Cahill also said that she plans to have a table at the city of Columbus’ Rise Up CBus event on July 13 at Columbia Heights Church to talk to residents about the need for a Westland recreation center and to provide residents with an opportunity to sign a petition to get the ball rolling.
Rise Up CBus is a free event for residents in Columbus to learn about a wide range of resources available throughout the city and about community partners. It includes free food and music, and admission is free.
“We need to work hard on this Columbus rising celebration. From there, we will have our petitions to build the recreation center for people to sign,” Cahill said.
The commissioners also unanimously approved the purchase, not to exceed $1,000, of a branded folding table, canopy, and table cover to use at the Rise Up CBus and future events.
According to Cahill, the parks and recreation committee recently viewed the Westgate Recreation Center to see what it offered to the community. Cahill said that the Westgate Recreation Center is full of activities for its community, operating from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at relatively no cost to its members and with scholarship opportunities for those who cannot afford it.
“The amount of use all of those programs have,” Cahill said, “includes dance, guitar, arts and crafts, and ceramics all day long from morning until mid-day. Seniors are using them also, they have home school groups that use them and some preschools. Once kids get out of school, then all of the youth programs start and evening activities for adults after work.”
According to Cahill, the tour only solidified how beneficial a recreation center in Westland would be to its residents.
