Columbus Parks officials held a meeting in Linden on Wednesday night to hear what residents want in a new park and community center.
About a dozen residents came to the current Linden Community Center to weigh in on plans for its successor. The City Council earmarked $20 million for a new building in the coming year’s budget—it’s one the largest line items in the spending plan.
Hattie Assan moved to the neighborhood last year and she came to the meeting with her daughter Maxine.
“I think my reason for getting involved is more for Maxine,” Assan says, holding the toddler against her hip. “I mean, I want to be involved in my community too, but this is where she’s going to grow up. So any positive change that happens is going to be positive for her whole upbringing.”
Parks director Tony Collins set up tables with examples from other parks, but he says the idea is to help residents come up with the specific things they want in a park. He compares it to D.I.Y. television shows.
“They get you primed and then you use your creativity,” Collins says. “So the idea is to get people to think about what could be and then bring their own ideas of what they’ve seen or what they really want to do or have available.”
The new community center will be the first in the city constructed to be a so-called "center for opportunity." The program focuses on areas with higher infant mortality and delivers a range of social services alongside recreational programs.
If the plan proceeds on pace, builders will break ground about a year from now and the building will be completed in summer or fall of 2020. In the meantime, Linden could be left without a community center, but city officials are working on plans to accommodate services at different locations.
