Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District previews feasibility study, schedules Nov. 12 public workshop

The Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District on Nov. 5 heard a project update and preliminary market analysis for a potential community recreation center and set a special public workshop for Nov. 12 at Brookshire Township Hall to gather community input.

Sofia Alonza, a project manager with Huzumi Solutions, told trustees the contractor team has conducted board interviews, begun site visits and will launch an online public survey to collect residents’ demographics, current recreation participation and preferences for programming and financing. "We're excited to be here today," Alonza said, and explained the survey will also ask respondents about willingness to pay and possible financial models.

The engagement plan calls for three in-person community workshops spread over roughly four to five months, complemented by an online SurveyMonkey questionnaire, targeted focus groups (schools, sports clubs, seniors and accessibility groups), and possible pop-up intercepts. Alonza said the team will post the survey on community or municipal websites, distribute notices via utility billing mailers and ask board members to share the survey on social media if possible.

Urban Decision Group principal Rick Stein presented preliminary market findings and trade-area modeling. He said the core study area now contains roughly 14,000 residents and is expected to add about 2,500 people over five years; the broader preliminary market area covers about 32,000 residents today and could exceed 37,000 within five years. "You're growing at a pretty decent clip," Stein said, noting a below-state median age and higher local spending on recreation and entertainment compared with the U.S. average.

Stein reviewed drive-time analyses for comparable facilities (Westerville Community Center, Reynoldsburg YMCA and others) and cautioned that siting a facility farther south could increase competition with existing centers in Westerville and New Albany. He also noted that the ODOT Sunbury Parkway extension and other planned development factor into expected future demand and access.

As part of the feasibility work, the contractor team proposed site visits on Nov. 10 to Westerville Community Center, Reynoldsburg YMCA and the Frank Ryan Center in Columbus to examine operating models and programming. The consultants said they expect strong interest in the project and outlined response benchmarks: about 50–70 in-person participants at engagement meetings and 150–200 online survey responses would be "A+"; lower response rates would prompt supplemental outreach.

Administratively, staff reported 2025 expenditures through Oct. 31 are on track. The City of Sunbury has included a $50,000 allocation for the joint recreation district in its proposed 2026 budget, a figure staff said is consistent with township planning. Trustees agreed to hold a December meeting (tentatively Dec. 1 at 6:00 p.m., in person) to adopt the 2026 budget and confirmed the Nov. 12 special meeting as the contractor-led community workshop.

Votes at a glance: The board approved the prior meeting minutes (5 yeas, 1 abstain). The meeting adjournment motion passed (6 yeas).

The next steps listed by the contractor team are (1) launch the SurveyMonkey questionnaire and promote it through municipal communications and board members’ channels, (2) conduct the Nov. 10 facility site visits and the Nov. 12 community workshop, (3) hold the second community workshop and focus groups after the holiday season to refine programming and candidate sites, and (4) return recommendations to the board for site and programming selection.