Issue 53: Westlake Officials Detail List Of Needed Projects

WESTLAKE, OH — Come Nov. 7, Westlake residents will vote on Issue 53, an income tax renewal, that will be used to accelerate the city's list of prioritized parks and recreation projects. In a press release from the city on Thursday, it is noted that Issue 53 would not raise taxes, but merely maintain the .125 percent income tax already in place.

“All of the stakeholders in our community, from the Parks and Recreation Commission, City Council, our Recreation, Planning, and Service Departments to the residents, businesses, and architects have been working diligently over the years to develop a master plan that utilizes our resources to improve the overall health and well-being of our residents and visitors,“ said Mayor Dennis Clough in a statement. “We are ready to move forward effectively and cost-efficiently with several of the new projects and to make the necessary improvements to existing facilities and properties.”

City officials will hold an open house and public forum on Oct. 25 to discuss Issue 53 and its potential impact. The event will be held at the Westlake Recreation Ceter from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be a presentation followed by a question and answer session. (To stay up to date on these stories, subscribe to the Patch Westlake newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

The city laid out a list of projects its hoping to prioritize if Issue 53 passes.

First, there's the proposed Senior and Community Services Building. The current facility was renovated in 1994 and an addition was added in 2004. That building was previously the Meadowood Club House.

The new facility would be age and mobility-friendly, the city said. There would also be more restrooms located near community rooms, along with a bevy of other features.

“One of the problems of our current location is accessibility in and out of a sloped driveway on the busy five-lane intersection at Crocker Rd. and Center Ridge Rd.,” said Lydia Gadd, director of the community services department, “The new site was chosen to allow for the center to have its own driveway and parking lot.”

The city also said it would like to replace Peterson Pool with a new Aquatic Center. Peterson Pool is more than 50 years old, has limited ADA accessibility, inefficient equipment and few amenities, the city said.

Bob DeMinico, Director of the Recreation Department, also raised identified health and wellness benefits for residents and visitors to the city from the proposed improvement projects. The city also said that maintenance costs for its aging facilities, including Peterson Pool, have risen sharply.

“The 12,000 current members of the Rec Center plus any of our non-member residents who can use the public facilities and parks have access to resources that can help them from being a statistic or possibly avoid becoming one in the future,” said Bob DeMinico, director of the recreation department. “Many of our aging facilities were not designed to meet the current needs of our community; much less what we expect will be required in the years to come.”

The city would also like to create new athletic fields. Westlake's current fields were created as temporary sites "many years ago" the city said. The baseball, softball and soccer facilities are in need of "significant upgrades and improvements." Those improvements include safety fencing, drainage, accessibility improvement and more.

To remedy these issues, the city has proposed the Bradley Road Sports Park. The city also wants to add an additional gym at the recreation center and upgrade maintenance on the city's outdoor trails.

“With these and the other physical improvements, new programming can be added to meet the growing needs and interests of the community creating a higher quality of life,” said DeMinico.

Drawings of these projects can be found here.

Photo from Shutterstock