Grove City SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
A Columbus Monthly Suburban Section
Ironically,
measurable success of a city begins with a plan focused on the immeasurable.
How do you measure the feeling you get from inclusion? How do you place a value on a picturesque Town Center that brings the community together? How do you gauge the importance of access to education, art or cultural events? Not an easy task, studies show these elements are crucial to a community. Cities that score high on these passionate metrics have happy residents, neighbors and business owners who embrace the hometown atmosphere and never want to leave. What do you call a community that embodies such a description? Grove City.
Richard L. “Ike� Stage Grove City Mayor 614-277-3000 GroveCityOhio.gov @GroveCityOhio
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Š OhioHealth Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. FY18-Brand-AWR. 04/18.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Grove City A Columbus Monthly Suburban Section
Welcome to Grove City A COMMUNITY OF NEIGHBORS
GROVE CITY BOASTS the sophisEmployers come to Grove tication of a booming metropolitan City and stay. We have grown community while preserving a from 780 companies to more small-town charm. This “best-ofthan 1,200 in the last decade. both-worlds” quality is something Grove City businesses provide we are incredibly proud of, and I’m more than 22,000 jobs, and our excited to share all our community chamber of commerce boasts has to offer. more than 600 members. Located less than 10 miles from Our 21 parks, incorporating Downtown Columbus, Grove City is more than 360 acres of land one of Central Ohio’s largest suband 26 miles of nature trails, are Richard L. “Ike” Stage urbs—and the only one to offer four the heart of a comprehensive interstate-access points. We have seen tremenrecreation system that offers opportunities and dous growth in the last several years and, thanks activities for residents of all ages and abilities. to carefully planned infrastructure improvements, We are the proud home of the Mirolo Dream we will continue our strategic growth. Field at Mount Carmel Stadium, supporting the While we are excited about the future of Grove City Buddy Ball League, which offers Grove City, we also are passionate about our children and adults of all abilites an opportunity past. Our historic, gas-lit Town Center is a great to participate in organized baseball. Grove City example of this community pride. The Town also is home to the recently opened 620-acre Center’s events, amenities and charm attract Scioto Grove Metro Park—a great destination for thousands of past, present and future residents hikers, canoeists, kayakers, anglers and people to Grove City. who want to enjoy waterfowl and other wildlife. Founded in 1852, Grove City has far more I invite you to read more about our comthan old-fashioned charm. It is a thriving city that munity, our growth and our opportunities in the has grown from fewer than 20,000 residents in following pages. 1990 to more than 40,000 today, making us the largest suburb totally within Franklin County. The foundation of our growth is our strong local economy with seven commerce areas and a wide range of employers that provide a broad spectrum of jobs. The opportunity for increased economic development is strong. Grove City offers hundreds of acres of affordable land, much Richard L. “Ike” Stage of which is located near the interstate system. Mayor, City of Grove City
PRESIDENT
Bradley M. Harmon PUBLISHER/GENERAL MANAGER
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The city balances historic preservation with modern amenities.
Memorials honor valor and sacrifice.
New developments foster further growth.
LIFESTYLES
VETERANS
BUSINESS
18 HOUSING
Grove City has an abundance of varied stock.
ON THE COVER: Grove City Town Center | Photo courtesy Grove City
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GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
20 SCHOOLS
Public and private schools offer solid options.
62 E. Broad St. P.O. Box 1289 Columbus, OH 43216 614-888-4567
Grove City: A Columbus Monthly Suburban Section is published by GateHouse Media, LLC. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted © 2018, all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited materials.
PHOTO: COURTESY GROVE CITY
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Tending the gardens at Gantz Park
You Can Have It All Grove City’s focus on preserving history and fostering innovation gives its residents plenty to enjoy. BY RYLAN LEE
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GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
PHOTO: COURTESY GROVE CITY
LIFESTYLES
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
LONG REGARDED as a sleepy Columbus suburb, Grove City is out to prove that today, it’s anything but soporific. Grove City Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage says it best when he proclaims, “You can do just about anything in Grove City.” He’s not wrong: Grove City residents enjoy go-to amenities and events throughout the year. No place better epitomizes the variety of Grove City life than its Town Center. From streetlamp-adorned sidewalks to cozy storefronts to the chipper white gazebo outside City Hall, Town Center has charm to spare. One building, however, stands apart: the new, 48,000-square-foot library on Broadway. “This building is amazing. It’s warm and welcoming and open. And the light’s incredible,” raves Bethanne Johnson, assistant director of the library. It switched buildings in 2016, after a stint of more than 60 years in its previous home. With the rise of technology and the growing community, the old building was struggling to keep up with the demands of modern visitors. Now, however, amenities abound: study/ meeting rooms with Smartboard capabilities, wired tables for easy charging, an early literacy room for youngsters and a teen section that screens movies from time to time. And that’s just to name a few. Much of Town Center takes its charm from an older, Americana aesthetic, so city leaders anticipated some initial resistance to the new, modern building. “There were people that were very fond of [the old library] and maybe it was their library for a lifetime. So it was difficult,” says Johnson. “Change is hard, [but] you have to keep moving forward.” Change, in this case, was overwhelmingly positive. After its opening, the building garnered statewide and national attention from librarians and architects alike. Those accolades resulted in an increase in local foot traffic, too.
PHOTO: COURTESY GROVE CITY
STAYING BUSY If the library isn’t testament enough to Grove City’s continual growth as a community, then certainly its annual events are. Throughout the year, the city hosts a plethora of events and activities that continuously grow in scale. Take, for example, the annual Wine and Arts Festival. One of the most notable of the town’s many events, the festival now is in its seventh year. It brings together 22 wineries—Grove City’s own Plum Run Winery included—and more than 100 artists and crafters. The festival, produced by Grove City Town Center Inc., takes place June 15 and 16 this year.
The new library in Town Center
Grove City Town Center Inc. also oversees the annual Bourbon Tasting, this year on Aug. 11. Now in its fifth year, the event for bourbon beginners and aficionados alike has grown at a pace the organization didn’t quite anticipate. “Last year we had planned, we thought, fairly well,” recalls Andy Furr, executive director of Grove City Town Center Inc. “But we actually ran out of product.” After two trips to local retailers for more supplies, the event was still forced to end two hours early due to the lack of bourbon. Have no fear, though. “We’ve prepared for that this year,” assures Furr. Another prominent attraction, this year on the same day as the Bourbon Tasting, is EcoFest. The event celebrates the ways Grove City exists as an eco-friendly, green community and explores how it can continue to grow in that role. To that end, attendees are encouraged to walk or ride their bikes to the event. But none of these events have the longstanding history of Arts in the Alley, now in its 39th year. Spanning two days in September— this year on Sept. 15 and 16—Arts in the Alley brings more than 100 juried exhibitors to the streets of Grove City to display and sell their art on Broadway and Park Street.
While all of these events seek to increase the number of visitors making the trip to Grove City, they’re also a celebration of the community. “For Grove City,” says Furr, “it makes it such a perception, from regional or even beyond, of how friendly we truly are, how accepting.”
WHERE OLD MEETS NEW Town Center and its many events are hallmarks of life in Grove City, but the town is much more than its quaint community hub. Grove City’s Parks and Recreation Department is committed to giving its residents a host of life-enriching opportunities throughout the community in the form of classes and high-quality greenspaces. What the parks share with the Town Center, however, is a strong affinity for history. One such example is Century Village, where visitors can experience life in the late 1800s by touring the log cabin, schoolhouse, blacksmith forge and other buildings, many of which have been relocated and restored to their original glory. Also a pinnacle of Grove City’s historical charm is the Grant-Sawyer Home, Grove City’s oldest house. It dates back to the 1830s, before Grove City was even platted, and was constructed by one of the town’s earliest
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
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residents, Catherine Barr Grant. Today, after the building was bought and restored by the city, visitors can tour the home by appointment. The city manages these properties in a partnership with the Southwest Franklin County Historical Society, a group of community members who share an interest in preserving and displaying local history. The group offers programming at the sites and was responsible for furnishing the Sawyer home. For Grove City’s youth (and young at heart), modern recreation options abound. In the public sector, there’s LVL UP Sports, a 36-acre paintball park featuring six playing fields and Valken Village Castle, the largest playable paintball structure in the state. Want to avoid bruises? LVL UP is one of the only parks in the region with low-impact paintballs. In the summertime, residents and their kids can beat the heat at the The Big Splash pool, which boasts two 30-foot body slides and an aqua climbing wall where swimmers can climb—sans rope—and then fall back into the water. To cool off in a different way, kids can head to Fryer Park. Its new splashpad—built in partnership with the YMCA—is an interactive play area where kids press buttons to trigger a variety of water effects to play in. Grove City has playgrounds throughout the city, but two are notable for their
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accessible design: the Discovery Frontier playground at Fryer Park and the Dream Field playground at Windsor Park. Constructing allaccessible playgrounds has been a big push for the Parks and Recreation Department in recent years.
HOME RUN When it comes to Grove City, though, one activity trumps all else. “We take a lot of pride in our baseball,” says Jason Barnes, supervisor of the Parks and Recreation Department’s sports and fitness programs. With 11 baseball and eight softball diamonds, a baseball-themed specialized interest license plate (proceeds of which support the Buddy Ball programs) and a water tower painted to look like a massive baseball hovering above the town, it’s undeniable that Grove City is a baseball town. While the history of baseball in the city extends further back, Grove City hosted Central Ohio’s first Little League game on May 31, 1950. The city’s initial Little League was disbanded in 1983, but was reinstated in 2013. “Mayor [Ike] Stage got a couple of us together and said, ‘Hey, I want to get this back. We need a board,’ ” says Jack Widner, former treasurer of the Grove City Little
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
League Board and current advisor for Buddy Ball. He and four other members of the previous Little League Board were themselves players on Grove City’s original Little League team in 1950. Today, roughly 850 kids participate in baseball programs, according to Barnes. The teams, separated by age divisions, play at Windsor Park, home to Grove City’s baseball fields. In addition to the traditional ball fields for Little League and traveling teams, the Mirolo Dream Field at Mount Carmel Stadium hosts Grove City’s Buddy Ball teams each Saturday in May and June. (See next page for more.) Grove City also is home to a massive high school softball alumni tournament. Started in 1983, the Annual Alumni Softball Tournament features approximately 100 teams made up of alumni spanning six decades from Grove City High School. On the last weekend of July, this two-day tournament is a major attraction and another way community members celebrate their personal histories in Grove City. “I think it’s all one community, and I think it’s something that’s only going to continue to grow,” says Barnes of baseball in Grove City. Growth, indeed, seems to be the trend of this city. While the community never outgrows its roots and history, its development means continuously better lifestyles for its residents.
PHOTOS: COURTESY GROVE CITY
Scenes from EcoFest
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
PHOTO: COURTESY LISA MCCARTY
Grove City Baseball Buddies Up Baseball has a long history in Grove City; after nearly a century of popularity, it got an upgrade. Three years ago, community members formed Buddy Ball, a community baseball program for individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities. Each Saturday in May and June, players come out for a game. They’re assisted by able-bodied volunteers, called “buddies,” and play on the specially constructed Mirolo Dream Field at Mount Carmel Stadium, which has a wheelchair-friendly, rubberized turf in lieu of grass. A recent partnership with the May We Help organization has brought in a Batter Up machine, which allows players to bat by simply pulling a string or lever. “Buddy Ball is really about developing a relationship between these young players—or older players in the adult league—with buddies, people that they really wouldn’t come across
in their walk of life,” says Wayne Kintz, a Buddy Ball League board member. Buddy Ball players represent a wide range of disabilities, from autism spectrum disorder to mobility limitations. The program is split into two divisions: an all-ages league and a more competition-focused adult league. The all-ages league, which has players from 3 to 70 years old, is focused more on fun than competition. “In our all-ages league, at the end of every game, the score is always tied,” Kintz explains. “Everybody wins.” Mack McCarty, a 9-year-old with Down syndrome, has been playing in the all-ages league since Buddy Ball’s first season. “There was really no great interest in baseball before,” says his mother, Lisa McCarty. Even with more than 100 players, Buddy Ball’s close-knit community makes the program special for its players. “It’s like his family; his friends are all there,” McCarty says.
Mack McCarty and his buddy at a game
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
The Purple Heart Memorial Walk
VETERANS
A Hero’s Welcome WITH NUMEROUS MEMORIALS and events dedicated to those lost in service, Grove City is a community deeply committed to honoring the men and women of the U.S. armed forces. “We’ve got a history of being involved in different conflicts,” says Grove City Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage. “We have a lot of descendants of Civil War soldiers and then World War I [living here].” In between the traditional celebrations on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Grove City also offers an event more unique to Ohio. “Back in 2011, which would have been the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 when the terrorist attacks happened in our country, we decided to bring in … the Ohio Flags of Honor Memorial,” says Kim Conrad, director of Grove City’s Parks and Recreation Department. The event, created by the Operation Iraqi Freedom Chopper Fund, is a touring display of more than 400 flags dedicated to Ohio soldiers who lost their lives in the conflicts in the Middle East since 2001.
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BY RYLAN LEE
The popularity of the event since that first display in 2011 inspired one of Grove City’s other notable tributes to those who serve. “As part of the event that very first year,” Conrad recalls, “we decided that we would plant trees for every soldier that has been lost [in the Middle East conflict] who was from Grove City.” Now known as Grove City’s Purple Heart Memorial Walk, the grove has grown to 19 trees, including trees for residents lost in prior wars. The memorial features a path in the shape of a heart, as well as three monuments and signage for each fallen soldier. “It’s somber, but it’s also very peaceful,” Conrad says. Grove City also recently became home to a new Gold Star Families Memorial, the second in Ohio. It honors members of Gold Star families—any family that has lost a loved one in war. The monument, one in a national movement, was brought, in part, by the Hershel
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
“Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation. The rest of the effort came from Officer John Darnell and Sgt. Chris White of the Grove City Division of Police. After meeting Williams through their mutual involvement with the Veterans Airlift Command, an organization that offers free air transport to those wounded in post-9/11 combat, White and Darnell began working to bring the monument to Grove City. After numerous fundraising events, White and Darnell were able to raise nearly $39,000, and the memorial was finally dedicated in the summer of 2016. “It was a definite community effort,” recalls Darnell. The new monuments join an all-service memorial plaza right outside of City Hall, which recognizes valor among Grove City’s own service personnel. “Throughout the whole community, it’s amazing how much community support [we have] for our veterans and for those who serve us,” Conrad says.
PHOTO: COURTESY GROVE CITY
Honoring the men and women who serve
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Construction continues on the new Mount Carmel hospital in early January 2017
BUSINESS
On the Horizon Grove City’s continued economic development and growth
OVER THE COURSE of more than three decades, Dave Crosby has witnessed firsthand the evolution of Grove City. “When I first arrived in 1981, Stringtown Road was a two-lane road,” says Crosby, who worked as a teacher with the South-Western City School District for 30 years. “There was nothing on it except for some homes.” Today, the area is a bustle of retail, from big-box stores to family-owned businesses. The changes did not stop with the addition of retail. “[State Route] 665, on the south side, was nothing, and now it’s really built up,” Crosby
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says. “And then the Town Center is undergoing a transformation. We have a brand-new, beautiful library.” Since 2012, Crosby—who now resides on a farm outside of the city—has run the Plum Run Winery on Broadway; in 2016, he opened the Grove City Brewing Co. on the same site. As a business owner, he appreciates the flurry of activity. Patrons of Crosby’s establishments are likely to increase in the months and years to come: Already boasting a multitude of housing options, the city is experiencing growth in other realms.
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
“I always tell people, I feel like I’m holding on to the back of a freight train,” says Shawn Conrad, executive director of the Grove City Chamber of Commerce. “It’s just moving fast—development is at an unprecedented speed.” The speed can be attributed in part to the city’s location. “We are the entryway to Columbus from the south,” she explains. “That also puts us in a good position to be a desirable location for businesses and residents alike.” At the same time, the city’s appeal is not limited to its accessibility to the state capital; on the contrary, leaders recognize the need to
PHOTO: BARBARA J. PERENIC
BY PETER TONGUETTE
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
add services and amenities that will contribute to the area’s continued development.
HEALTHY GROWTH
PHOTOS: TOP LEFT AND RIGHT, FRED SQUILLANTE; BOTTOM LEFT, COURTESY GROVE CITY
“I think most businesses come in being mindful of what a community may have to offer for their employees,” Conrad says. “A potential employer or business owner thinking about Grove City is going to think, ‘Wow, there is so much to do in Grove City, as well as wonderful health care.’ ” It is easy to understand why health care is a specific point of emphasis: Grove City soon will be home to a pair of hospitals operated by two of the region’s leading health care providers. This year, OhioHealth will unveil a facility housing the Grove City Surgery Center (which opened in April) and the 80,000-square-foot Grove City Methodist Hospital (set to open in the fall). Meanwhile, in November, Mount Carmel will open the doors to a 210-bed hospital that will be added to an already-built emergency department and ambulatory campus. The projects will bring needed variety to the types of businesses operating in Grove City.
“Our economy is basically, right now, 30 percent based in logistics and transportation and warehousing,” says Grove City development director Kyle Rauch. “With all this new development in the medical [field], we’re becoming more of a diversified community.” OhioHealth’s facility, which will include an emergency department, operating rooms and inpatient surgical suites and beds, will complement the existing Grove City Health Center on Stringtown Road. The project was hatched in response to the needs of area residents, who previously sought out neighboring hospitals. “At this point, we feel that Grove City is ready for OhioHealth to bring hospital-based services closer to the community,” says Kevin Lutz, president of Grove City Methodist Hospital. The impact on the city’s economy promises to be dramatic: According to Lutz, the facility will lead to a net gain of 285 jobs. “We’re not moving them from another facility; we’re not moving them from another region of Central Ohio,” Lutz says. “These are brand-new jobs within OhioHealth, so that’s a big impact to the community.”
But in the health care business, the bottom line is well-being—and the Grove City Methodist Hospital and Grove City Surgery Center will allow residents to receive care in their own backyard. “One of the things that we find is that people are more comfortable being closer to home,” Lutz says. “If you’re more comfortable, you have a better experience. If you have a better experience, you have a better outcome.” Similarly, Mount Carmel stepped up its game in Grove City in recognition of residents turning to centers outside of the area, including Mount Carmel West on State Street. “About 60 percent of our inpatients admitted to the Mount Carmel West campus today are from the broader Grove City area,” says Sean McKibben, president of Mount Carmel Grove City and Mount Carmel West, which will close after the Grove City hospital is up and running. “Grove City is one of the fastestgrowing communities not only in Central Ohio, but Ohio. It was very, very important to make sure that we are meeting the health care needs of that community, which are vastly growing.”
Left, Grove City Brewing Co.; right, the children’s area at the Grove City library
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
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The new hospital, which has a price tag of $360 million and will create 1,500 jobs, was imagined with prospective patients in mind, McKibben says. All told, Rauch says, the city will have nearly a million square feet of new medical space, including the hospitals and smaller medical facilities, like Trivium, within just a few years.
A Stay in the City As much as Grove City has to offer residents, the city also has proven inviting to visitors. The city has more hotels than any Columbus suburb, and they often are packed with guests. “With 14, going on 18, lodging properties, Grove City has the third-largest tourism economy in Central Ohio,” says Amanda Davis, executive director of Grove City Visitors and Convention Bureau. “Corporate travel is our ‘bread and butter,’ though we welcome numerous sports tournaments and leisure travel business throughout the warmer months.” Davis cites a recent study financed by Visit Grove City that identified Grove City’s proximity to Columbus, access to outdoor recreation and unique local events as key reasons for staying in the suburb. One of the city’s new hotels will be a 182-room Hilton/Home2 Suites hotel, and several existing properties are undergoing renovations—sure to keep Grove City a destination for travelers.
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GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
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PHOTO: COURTESY GROVE CITY
REVITALIZATION AND REBIRTH Both present and future residents soon will find one of the city’s most iconic spots utterly transformed. Beulah Park, situated near the historic downtown area, was until 2014 the setting of thoroughbred horse racing. “That’s 212 acres that has served as a major entertainment venue for years and provided an economic stimulus to the city,” says Pat Kelley of site developer Falco, Smith & Kelley. “It had kind of fallen off in popularity in recent years.” But the racetrack’s demise offered the chance to develop the area anew; with groundbreaking set for the summer, residential, retail and light commercial building will take place. “It’s a rare opportunity for Grove City to create a diverse, walkable, vibrant, mixed-use community in a planned, integrated fashion that raises the quality of living not just within the Beulah Park development, but within the surrounding areas, neighborhoods, as well as the Town Center,” Kelley says. The Beulah Park development, he adds, will enhance the city over the long run. “It’s not just about growth—it’s about intelligent growth,” Kelley says. “It’s about enhancing the quality of life for residents, and … providing housing stock that really doesn’t exist there now.” The development is part of a larger effort to keep the downtown area vibrant. “Over the past couple of years, we put around
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A rendering of Trivium’s new medical offices in the Gateway Business Park on the city’s south side
RECYCLE
Paper & Cardboard
Plastic Bottles & Jugs
Metal Cans
Glass Bottles & Jars
Cartons
NOT ACCEPTED
No Food Containers
No Tanglers
No Plastic Bags
No Cups
$37 million worth of investment into our Town Center,” Rauch says. “Our downtown is the heartbeat of our community, so you want to make sure you do it right.” Seasonal events—such as a 17-week farmers market and the Arts in the Alley festival in September—make the Town Center busy and bustling. “By keeping the historic Town Center, keeping the history here and keeping it alive, and not transforming everything into new and bigger and better, we have a place where it’s just quaint and friendly and warm,” Conrad says. Additional retail space is set to arrive through a pair of developments: the Gateway Retail Development plan, featuring more than 11,000 square feet of retail space at Route 665 and Meadow Pond Court, and the Shoppes at 665 Development Plan’s 8,000-plus square feet of retail on Route 665. “This community is welcoming and looking forward to new retail, new restaurants, new businesses, new establishments,” says Conrad, who adds that when the city sends out surveys to citizens, satisfaction rates are around 90 percent. “People like what’s going on in the community. If they didn’t, then those kinds of business centers and retail centers would not continue to happen.”
CONNECTING THE DOTS
SWACO.org/RecycleRight 16
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
The Ohio Department of Transportation also has taken note of Grove City’s evolution; construction on improvements at Route 665 and I-71 commenced in 2010.
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Join us this Sunday for worship! 8:30 & 11am Tradi onal 9:30 & 11am Contemporary
PHOTO: COURTESY J. CARTER BEAN ARCHITECT
2684 Columbus St. Grove City, OH 43123 “We went, literally, from a two-lane [road], which was one lane in each direction, to this interchange that has multiple lanes, multiple directions of traffic, moving so much more efficiently at that interchange,” says Nancy Burton of ODOT. “That, to us, really signaled the start of the investment in the infrastructure improvement.” Studies of traffic volume, crashes and economic development contributed to the decision to undertake the work. And there’s more on the way. “We’ve just begun the big one, what I call the South Side mega-fix,” Burton says, pointing to ODOT’s widening of I-71 from just south of the State Route 315 split to Stringtown Road from two lanes to three or even four in some spots. A new exit for Stringtown Road, well before the I-270 crossover, will improve flow into Grove City from the north. “Once it’s done,” Burton says, “it’s safer, it’s smoother, it’s more efficient.” With business booming—and traffic increasing—leaders have turned their attention to ensuring that the city retains the appeal that drew residents in the first place. “As we diversify our economy and stabilize our income tax revenues, it allows us to do quality-of-life projects,” says Rauch, citing trails to the new, 600-acre-plus Scioto Grove Metro Park as an example. “From my standpoint,” he explains, “you want the high quality of life to attract the best resident you can, which translates well into having a really mobilized and beneficial workforce for local employers.”
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A home in the Pinnacle development
HOUSING
Something for Everyone
Young or old, first home or empty nest, Grove City has a housing option to meet every need. BY EMMA FRANKART HENTERLY
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are $150,000 to $300,000,” Skinner explains. “Now, we have a really good inventory of homes from $150,000 to $1 million.” He also notes the increased presence of senior living options, as well as condominiums and apartments that appeal to millennials and empty nesters alike. New builds—like the Broadway Station complex from Pizzuti Cos., completed last year in Town Center—offer luxury options that complement older, budget-friendly properties like Regency Arms Apartments on the north end of town, Skinner says. And while newer homes tend toward the higher end of the pricing spectrum, the city’s bevy of postWorld War II builds offers solid construction at a reasonable starter-home price, with most reselling for under $175,000. Perhaps most notable in Grove City’s housing stock, however, is a development
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
that’s only just getting off the ground: Beulah Park Living, on the site of the former thoroughbred racetrack.
WALKABLE LIVING Beulah Park’s 2014 closure left Grove City with a massive, centrally located parcel of land. To some, that could look like an eyesore. But to Pat Kelley, of Falco, Smith & Kelley, it looked like opportunity. He tapped Gary Schmidt of G2 Planning + Design, with whom he’d worked on a previous Dublin project, to take the design lead. “When you get over 200 acres of land in a pretty urban part of a suburb … that, to me, is very unique,” Schmidt says. “I’ve been practicing urban design for over 35 years, and I’ve never had that opportunity.” The Beulah Park property sits on 212 acres, which will be redeveloped to include a mix of greenspace
PHOTO: COURTESY GROVE CITY
GREG SKINNER first arrived in Grove City as a teenager. “I always say, we complain about Grove City when we’re in high school and we’re kids, but we always move back here when we’re adults,” he says. He and his wife, Nancy, have owned four different houses—all in Grove City—during their 35 years of marriage. “It’s a great town to raise your children,” Skinner notes. “It’s just a really nice package.” Today, Skinner is a real estate agent with Keller Williams Premier Realty selling homes in—where else?—Grove City. Over the course of his career, he’s noted an impressive diversification in the housing stock, which he attributes to the efforts of Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage during his first stint in the role, from 1988 to 1995. “Back then, Grove City’s housing stock would be comparable to houses today that
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and commercial, retail and residential options. “Beulah Park is based on this principle of intelligent urbanism,” which includes walkability and balance with nature, Kelley explains. That means walking trails throughout the development, a pavilion for community gatherings in a central park area, tennis or pickleball courts and a memorial garden that pays tribute to the site’s equestrian past. For the homes themselves, Kelley envisions a mix of apartments, condos, single-family houses and senior living, all of which will incorporate modern adaptations of rural and Craftsman-style buildings. Construction on the greenspace, singlefamily homes and apartments are first up on the list, pending final zoning approval from the city of Grove City. Kelley anticipates the first projects will be completed by this time next year, if not sooner. Senior living, retail spaces— think boutiques, coffee shops, small-scale grocers—and park improvements will follow.
means seniors are spoiled for choice when it’s time to transition to retirement living. Perhaps the most noteworthy of the city’s senior living options is StoryPoint Senior Living off Orders Road. Thanks in part to a company culture focused on exceptional service and individual autonomy, StoryPoint’s independent living apartments are already nearly filled— just a few months after their October 2017 opening. They range in size from 685-squarefoot, single-bedroom floorplans to sprawling, 1,275-square-foot, two-bedroom units. An on-site beauty parlor and an experienced chef (formerly of The Guild House in the Short North) provide a luxurious vibe. The independent living units will be joined later this month by assisted living and memory care units. Community involvement is important at StoryPoint, says its business development specialist, Laura Simpson. And it’s a two-way street, she adds: In addition to facilitating residents’ involvement in Grove City, StoryPoint invites the community to its campus
for lectures, an Easter egg hunt and more. Dining in the bistro is not limited to residents and is seriously tasty. You can find executive chef Kyle Roehrenbeck at the Taste of Grove City expo, and Friendly Fork—the brand’s food truck—takes dishes like crab cakes and duck confit nachos on the road. Connecting StoryPoint residents with the greater community and vice versa just makes sense, Simpson says. “I think Grove City is a very tight-knit community. … Very rarely do I ever have to look beyond Grove City to find what I’m looking for in a presenter, speaker, something like that. It’s here, and they’re very willing to help.” From millennials and young families to empty nesters and retirees, Grove City is fast becoming a destination for convenient living on both ends of the pricing spectrum. “I tell people, 43123 is the Cinderella story of Franklin County [over] the last few years,” Skinner says. “It’s just really become an awesome story in Franklin County.”
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY G2 PLANNING + DESIGN
MOVING UP For those ready to move on from a starter home, Grove City’s options abound. Most notable, perhaps, are those surrounding Pinnacle Golf Club on the city’s east side. “Pinnacle kind of changed the complexion of Grove City,” says Skinner, who currently lives in the development. He says Mayor Stage worked hard to attract the kind of higher-end builders that can be found in the neighborhood, adding that homes there tend to sell between $220,000 and $1 million or more. Grove City Heights and Briarwood Hills, both off of Hoover Road, also have lovely options for those looking to upgrade. Expect tree-lined streets, diverse floorplans and facades, and lush lawns in the latter; Grove City Heights has much of the same, with mostly single-story ranches. Homes in both neighborhoods tend to cap out around $400,000, Skinner says. For the empty-nester crowd, quality condominiums from Epcon Communities are scattered throughout the city. One such community, the Courtyards at Hoover, was just completed. Boasting maintenance-free living, a resort-style clubhouse and leisure paths that connect the neighborhood to the city’s existing trail network, Courtyards at Hoover has more than 60 homes in a mix of singlefamily units and two-family doubles.
Renderings of the Beulah Park Living development
AGE IN PLACE In Grove City, downsizing doesn’t require leaving home behind. A plethora of options across the entire spectrum of care needs GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
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EDUCATION
Forward Thinking South-Western City School District prepares students for the real world. BY SANDY NEKOLOFF With more than 22,000 students in rural, suburban and urban areas, the South-Western City School District (SWCSD) is one of the largest and most unique and diverse districts in the state. Its 15 elementary schools, five intermediate schools, five middle schools, four high schools, career technical academy and special needs preschool serve a 119-squaremile radius and offer the benefits of two worlds: small-town, small-classroom attention to students and the proximity of a capital city’s cultural hub and other amenities.
The South-Western City School District places a strong emphasis on college and career readiness standards designed to promote rigorous course offerings, which provide the foundation for a successful path in life after graduation. High school students have increased opportunities to earn college credit through Advanced Placement courses, careertechnical education programs, online courses and the district’s own Accelerated Learning Center (ALC). The district has partnered with Columbus State Community College on an Investing in Innovation Fund Grant to ensure that students who are traditionally less likely to attend college have the opportunity to succeed in college or a career. This work helps improve teaching and learning in the classroom and helps students master both course content and critical problem-solving skills. This is a unique opportunity for SWCSD to promote college coursework while attending high school. For some of its most at-risk students, the grant provides a clear pathway to affordable college.
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PRIVATE SCHOOL OPTIONS:
Grove City Christian School 4750 Hoover Road, Grove City; 614-875-3000; grovecitychristian.org
Founded in 1990 as a ministry of the Grove City Church of the Nazarene, Grove City Christian School (pre-K through 12th grade) set out with a mission to help equip students for life academically, spiritually and socially. Distinguished for its biblical integration into each area of the educational experience, the school is committed to preparing students to be Christian leaders who impact the world, says director of education David Arrell. In addition to a rigorous academic program with multiple College Credit Plus and Advanced Placement courses, the school offers athletic and fine arts programs to encourage the development of student leaders. The chartered, private school is pursuing excellence through dual Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and AdvancED accreditation.
GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
School leadership emphasizes community outreach, giving students in all grade levels the opportunity to participate in various service projects that make an impact locally and globally, adds Arrell.—Jillian Span Hofbauer
PHOTOS: TOP, COURTESY SOUTH-WESTERN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT; BOTOOM, HANNAH BLANDIN
REAL-WORLD READINESS
PHOTO: BRADLEY ALLEN
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Through the College Credit Plus program at the Accelerated Learning Center and in partnership with Columbus State, high school students have the opportunity to take college courses while completing high school graduation requirements. ALC students can earn more than 30 college credits in the areas of software development, general liberal arts and STEM subjects, which are transferable to any public college in Ohio, as well as many private colleges. Through its Career-Technical Education program, the district offers students the opportunity to train for careers in highdemand and highly skilled fields. Partnerships with institutions of higher education offer students the opportunity to earn up to 32 college credits and industry credentials while pursuing their career interest. The South-Western Career Academy continually adjusts its offerings to help fill positions in high-demand careers. Beginning in the fall, the Academy will offer four new, senior-only programs that provide a credential and pathway into the workforce or college upon graduation: state-tested nurse
PRIVATE SCHOOL OPTIONS:
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
3752 Broadway, Grove City; 614-8756779; ourladyofperpetualhelp.net/school Focused on creating an education that is rich in experience and strong in faith, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (pre-K through eighth grade) strives to foster an academic environment centered around service learning and student leadership. In addition to promoting academic achievement and moral and spiritual growth, the school offers many extracurricular activities. Athletic programs, choir, drama, art enrichment and the student newspaper, as well as such leadership activities as the Student Ambassador and Legacy Leader programs, enable students to cultivate their creativity, engage their curiosity and hone their talents. The Our Lady of Perpetual Help community is one that celebrates the familial aspect of each student’s educational journey, says principal Julie Freeman. “We rejoice in
each other’s triumphs and mourn with each other during times of hardship,” she explains. “Education is, and should be, a shared communal experience, and our students, staff, parents and parish all recognize this as one of the enduring traits of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.”—Jillian Span Hofbauer
Welcome to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church offers numerous faith formation and service opportunities. We are driven by the mission to form and send intentional, missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. Our Lady of Perpetual Help School educates students in preschool through eighth grade. Principal Julie Freeman welcomes everyone who is interested in learning more about our school. Call her office to arrange a meeting and tour.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church 3730 Broadway Grove City, Ohio 43123 614.875.3322
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School 3752 Broadway Grove City, Ohio 43123 614.875.6779
Mass Schedule
8:30 a.m. daily • 5 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., noon Sunday
ourladyofperpetualhelp.net GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
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All Access stage pass to the Arch k c a b r City You
assistant, certified logistics associate/technician, construction and carpentry, and insurance industry-based customer service and support. Additionally, the Health Technologies program is being redesigned to provide two distinct pathways: pre-nursing and multiskilled health. A mobile app development component is being added to the Interactive Media Design program.
IMPROVING FACILITIES
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In 2012, SWCSD voters passed a bond issue to rebuild or renovate its elementary schools and build a new Franklin Heights High School. This was Segment 1 of a partnership with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, through which the state paid half of the core costs of the project. In addition, the district had retiring bond debt that allowed this project to be completed at no additional cost to its taxpayers. With Segment 1 completed, Segment 2 of the OFCC partnership focuses on rebuilding the four oldest middle schools (Brookpark, Finland, Norton and Pleasant View), renovating Jackson Middle School and East Franklin Elementary School, and completing some much-needed roofing and asphalt projects. Once again, the state will pay half of the core program costs and the district has bond debt retiring, so Segment 2 can be completed with another no new millage bond.
FINANCIAL HEALTH The current SWCSD five-year forecast indicates that the district will have a positive cash balance through fiscal year 2021-22. This is nine years longer than the Board of Education’s promise, made during the 2009 levy campaign. This extension is a direct result of collaboration between the district’s board of education, administration and employee groups to manage operating expenditures. The district’s financial health was evaluated in December 2017 by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Services, two financial research and analysis companies that independently evaluate the financial strength of both governmental and private entities. Both groups prepared an analysis of the district’s current financial position and affirmed their ratings of “AA-” and “Aa2,” respectively. Both rating agencies commended the district for its strong budgetary performance and maintenance of prudent cash reserves. Sandy Nekoloff is the South-Western City School District’s executive director of communications and community relations.
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GROVE CITY: A COLUMBUS MONTHLY SUBURBAN SECTION MAY 2018
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