BY MARIE McCAIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The days of the one-story community gym with its pickup basketball games and dances are disappearing. Fast.
Those unassuming structures have given way to multistory, multifaceted lifestyle centers with programs for young and old. They look more like industrial parks than neighborhood gyms.
Just a year ago, Sharonville completed a $5.5 million addition to its 29-year-old recreation center, joining Evendale and Blue Ash on the bigger-is-better bandwagon of multimillion-dollar recreation.
Close behind are communities such as Springdale, Forest Park and Woodlawn, all scrambling to update their own services.
Realizing demands for these services, many suburban communities have spent or are willing to spend millions on their facilities. Experts attribute the increase to healthier senior citizens, aging baby boomers, and a need to counteract a rise in youth violence.
"It makes sense for communities to do this," said Chris Bresnan, information resources manager for the National Recreation and Parks Association in Ashburn, Va. "People are living longer. They want to stay healthy and they want something nearby. These things are extremely crucial -- fundamental -- to the needs of all communities."
He said studies show teens are more likely to stay out of trouble when they have a positive alternative.
Playing basketball at the Sharonville Recreation Center this month, Kevin Dunigan and David Overberg, both 13, said without the facility they'd probably have nothing to do.
"They have a lot of good programs for teens here," Kevin said. "On Fridays there's a teen night. There was nothing like this before (the expansion)."
"I'd probably be sitting at home goofing off if this wasn't here," David said.
Sharonville's services for its adult and senior residents are an even greater draw.
Prior to the expansion, senior citizen membership was around 70. The center now boasts more than 600 senior memberships and offers a variety of programs.
"I had to begin exercising for health reasons," said Sharonville resident Charles Emmons, 59. "I use this mainly for the fitness center and the swimming pool. Since coming here, I've lost 50 pounds." Others, like baby boomer Debbie Herring, thought the center was only for children. Mrs. Herring began using the center last November, one month after it reopened, and has won a center fitness contest. "I come here every day," she said.
Some suburbs have found that recreation programs attract newcomers and keep current residents from moving.
Recreation is high on the list of amenities home buyers want, said Sharonville Recreation Director Sue Koetz, quoting a survey she took of Realtors several years ago. "After schools and tax structure, there was recreation," she said. "It came in even before police and fire services."
Anne Perrin, a Sharonville mother of two, said it's a quality-of-life issue. "We assume the basics are going to be there," she said, referring to fire, police and other city services.
"Recreation is beyond that. It's what someone can do within their community. It's also what gets them involved," Mrs. Perrin said.
In planning for a nearly $14 million expansion of its rec center, Springdale council heard from a number of residents who favored expensive design plans with space for a batting cage, indoor running - walking track, double gym, exercise room, aerobics - dance rooms, senior and teen meeting rooms, a day-care facility, and improved locker rooms.
One resident, Beth Chavies, said, "We are counting on you to represent the needs of the community and the priority must not simply be how much the city spends but rather are we making smart decisions, meeting our current needs and wants, as well as planning for the future."
Her husband, Kevin Chavies, added, "If we look at the money issue too hard, we can start cutting things that certain people don't think are necessary. Why stop short of having something we can all be extremely proud of to save a couple hundred thousand dollars?" In Woodlawn, village officials are talking with the Princeton School District about a jointly operated community center.
In Forest Park, council members are in the preliminary stages of deciding how much they can spend and if a tax increase will be needed to meet their more than $7 million recreation center wish list. Outside of a small building near the municipal pool, Forest Park does not have a recreation center. Officials hope to build one with a two-court gymnasium, stage, multipurpose room, fitness facility, craft room, day care, offices and locker rooms.
