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Are new State Fairgrounds projects nails in the coffin for Ginther \

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7 months ago

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Are new State Fairgrounds projects nails in the coffin for Ginther \

City “sports park,” once a done deal, seems dead

After almost five years of work, a task force appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine has begun construction on its vision for the historic Ohio State Fairgrounds — and it still includes no mention of Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s proposed city sports park at the Historic Crew Stadium.

Workers broke ground on the Ohio Showcase Building that will serve as a food hall and state history exhibit, and an agricultural educational building.

“There is so much to enjoy at the Ohio State Fair, and the enhancements to these spectacular fairgrounds will make the experience even better,” DeWine said Monday during the groundbreaking. 

“These projects will preserve the historic beauty and character of the fairgrounds, while also adding modern improvements that showcase everything great about our state.”

The state once again left out any mention of a city sports park built around the former Mapfre Stadium.

Announced by Ginther and other city officials as a done deal in December 2018, the city sports park — with planned playing fields and an indoor recreation center — was billed as a key community benefit to building a new Crew soccer stadium Downtown.

“If your top three priorities are neighborhoods, neighborhoods, neighborhoods… the only way public-private partnerships work and the Columbus Way thrives is if everyone benefits,” Ginther said at the 2018 sports park announcement, held the day before the new soccer stadium was announced.

“If it’s not for all of us, then it just isn’t Columbus,” the mayor said at the time.

But long after the new Lower.com Field was under construction in the Arena District, the city’s plans to develop the fairgrounds land controlled by the state since 1886 ran into challenges, in part because the board that controls the fairgrounds never agreed to the plan.

Ginther originally said the park would serve more than 200,000 people who live within 3 miles of the site, and would include indoor community spaces, eight indoor basketball courts, a full-size indoor soccer field, at least six outdoor public athletic fields, and additional green space.

The current state master plan for the fairgrounds development shows Phase 1 of the state design reserving for the fairgrounds all of the roughly 17.3 acres of what are currently parking lots that the city had wanted for the park. It also enhances the lots with a new north side gateway entrance to welcome visitors to the fairgrounds.

Even after the state ignored his plans for years, Ginther announced in 2021 that he would begin design work on the sports park, despite still not having any land to build it on. The Dispatch reported in December 2021 that the sports park could exceed its $12 million construction budget.

In December 2022 the governor signaled that the city project, which was also backed by the Columbus Partnership, still could happen.

“I’m someone who always tries to get things worked out,” DeWine said at the time. “We have certainly an interest. The Crew does; certainly, the mayor does. And we’re trying to figure out a way basically to accommodate everyone.”

When Ginther announced a Plan B last October to launch a major renovation of an existing city sports park near Westerville at Kilbourne Run, the mayor held out that the fairgrounds sports park could still be realized. The Kilbourne project includes no indoor recreation center.

“We haven’t given up on the fairgrounds, and continue to lobby the governor and Exposition Center,” Ginther said, adding that the city stands “ready willing and able to build the sports park there that we promised.”

The city reported no progress this week.

Both the city Development and Recreation departments “are not aware of any progress of placing elements of the community sports park at the Ohio Expo Center location,” Ginther spokesperson Melanie Crabill said in an email Tuesday, referring questions to the governor’s office.

DeWine’s office didn’t immediately respond when asked if the latest fairground plans mean the city project is officially dead.

The new Ohio Showcase Building will house a food hall and exhibit space to tell the story of Ohio’s people, land, communities, and innovation, according to the governor’s office. The hall will house six restaurants/vendors that will offer dishes from throughout Ohio, with indoor and outdoor dining space. The building is slated for completion in 2026.

The new agriculture building will house the Taste of Ohio Café, with meals served by Ohio’s agricultural commodity groups. The building will also house the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s Land & Living Exhibit as well as other agricultural exhibits.

“The exhibit hall will feature more than 100,000 square feet of space for a variety of events,” DeWine’s office said in a news release.

wbush@gannett.com

@ReporterBush

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