By Christine Bryant
Staff Writer
City and YMCA officials will hold their final town hall meeting before the May primary election this month in hopes of reaching out to any remaining Reynoldsburg residents who may have questions about the proposed center.
The meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 12 at Reynoldsburg City Hall, 7232 E. Main St., will provide an opportunity for city residents to learn more about a proposed YMCA facility at the old pool site off Davidson Drive.
To fund the construction of the center, voters must first approve a 1-percent income tax increase – named “Issue 11” – on the May 2 primary election ballot. Supporters of the initiative say the hike also would generate income for improvements to the city’s streets, parks and police departments.
Marshall Spalding, a city council member and one of the co-chairs for the Citizens to Improve Quality of Life in Reynoldsburg, said the upcoming April 12 meeting should be one of the largest and final opportunities for residents to ask questions to Brian Kridler, senior vice president for strategic advancement and COO of the YMCA of Central Ohio.
For the past few months, volunteers with the Citizens to Improve Quality of Life in Reynoldsburg have canvassed neighborhoods, answering residents’ questions and presenting them with the proposed plans of what the center would offer. Volunteers have also attended a variety of homeowners’ association, PTO and civic organization meetings.
“We appreciate that people really embrace the fact that this is good for the city and goes well beyond partisan barriers,” Spalding said.
In fact, as both Republican and Democratic candidates have vied for support this primary election season, Spalding says candidates from both parties have taken literature for Issue 11 with them as they have canvassed neighborhoods and attended meetings.
“This is one of the first truly bipartisan issues we have ever had in Reynoldsburg, and both parties as well as people that we are meeting when we go door to door want this center for our city,” he said.
This initiative will benefit all families, children and grandchildren, Spalding said.
“The support has been very strong with the 3,000 houses we have already walked,” he said.
