Bexley City Schools purchases North Cassady site for new athletics campus

Bexley City Schools announced the purchase of a property on North Cassady Avenue just outside the city to create a dedicated athletics campus, officials said during a district meeting. The district said the new site will provide practice fields, a competition-grade track and outdoor learning areas that will relieve pressure on the landlocked Cassingham Complex.

The purchase, presented by district staff, is part of a multi-year, community-driven facilities plan aimed at addressing limited on-site athletic space and aging school buildings. "This marks a transformational opportunity for our students today, and for the next 100 years," the presenter (S1) said, adding the new property would allow students to stop traveling to other schools in Columbus and Bexley for practices and games.

District speakers emphasized that the acquisition is intended to benefit all students, not only athletes, by freeing up space at the Cassingham Complex to expand academic and extracurricular offerings for grades 6–12. "By freeing up space at our Cassingham Complex, we'll expand learning opportunities" the presenter said.

Several students and meeting participants described the immediate effects of the district's limited facilities on school schedules and instruction. One participant (S2) said rain delays or scheduling problems often cancelled practice time, while another (S4) urged the district to secure its own fields rather than rely on other schools with outdated equipment.

District staff described environmental due diligence and safety checks performed during the acquisition process. A staff member (S5) said the district had conducted environmental studies and had spoken with "two or three representatives from the Ohio EPA," who the speaker said "assured us that the property is safe for our students to participate." The district said it will continue safety and security work as development proceeds.

Officials framed the purchase as a way to unlock future academic construction at the Cassingham campus, which the meeting noted is built out and has limited regulation-size fields. A committee member (S6) cited the Columbus School for Girls split-campus model as a precedent and proposed keeping an academic core at Cassingham while locating athletics farther north on North Cassady Avenue.

On funding, an administrator (S9) said no final development plans or costs have been decided. "The land was purchased with existing permanent improvement fund dollars and 50% of future revenues from that same fund," the administrator said. The district did not provide a final development budget or timeline at the meeting.

Speakers invited community input on design and next steps; staff said the district will follow an inclusive facility-design process and present concepts to the board of education before determining how development will be funded. The meeting concluded with officials reiterating the district's intent to involve residents, staff and students in planning.

The district did not present a final construction timeline or detailed cost estimate at the meeting; officials said those details will come after community engagement and further planning.