By Amanda Ensinger
Staff Writer
The Galloway Sports Complex in Prairie Township is quickly coming together and Westside residents may have even more recreational options.
At a recent township board meeting, residents inquired about the status of the sports complex and asked if officials were concerned about a competing complex created by the city of Columbus.
“The restroom and concession stand are under construction,” said Tracy Hatmaker, township administrator. “The trails and the parking lot are also coming along. There is a lot going on out there.”
When the township moved forward with the 111-acre complex, there was no other complexes like this in the region. However, now the city of Columbus is moving forward with its own multi-use complex that could be similar to the one Prairie Township is building.
“Columbus has 25 acres on Alkire Road, which is around the corner from our complex,” Hatmaker said. “It sounds like they are going to do multi-use fields too.”
The Galloway Road Sports Complex will also offer a variety of multi-use baseball and soccer fields, as well as a fishing pond, a storage area, parking lot and a concessions stand.
However, Hatmaker said the township is not concerned about the Columbus complex because of the high demand for facilities like this.
“If you talk to people in youth sports, there is more than enough need for 10 of these complexes,” Hatmaker said.
The Galloway Road Sport Complex is expected to open in August 2018 and there is no set date on when the new Columbus facility will open.
In other news, the board agreed to have the township join the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s Sustainable 2050 initiative. This initiative helps communities find ways to operate more efficiently.
“They (MORPC) will lay out ways to help us introduce environmentally sustainable practices,” Hatmaker said. “We will then get certifications as we reach certain levels.”
