Hilliard to unveil new recreation and wellness center

HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Well is Hilliard’s new recreation and wellness center and on Thursday evening, the doors will open to the public.

“This has been such a long process, and it's been a labor of love for sure, but seeing people in this space is what makes it all worth it,” The Well Facility Manager Anastasia Maynard said.

The city started planning for the 105,000-square-foot campus in 2021. Maynard said it took a lot of community input.

“As we went through this facility, the number one thing was that we wanted it to be somewhere that anybody of any ability could recreate,” she said.

The city has been hosting resident surveys and public forums from the beginning.

“One of the things that we heard a lot is that people wanted indoor aquatic space,” Maynard said.

There is a lap pool, leisure pool, slide, and sauna. Maynard said the center is tailored specifically to residents, including a wudu room -- a space dedicated to the ritual washing of hands, feet and face before prayer.

“We heard from our Muslim community that that was something that they needed,” she said.

Along with all of the fitness features from group classes to an indoor track and basketball courts, The Well is also a space for healthcare.

“For the city of Hilliard, this will be our largest undertaking in terms of providing services for the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center,” said Brendan Greisberge, program director of Health & Wellbeing at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

There will be physical therapy, urgent care, mental and behavioral health and integrative health like massage and nutrition counseling.

“The more access that we can provide to the community and as we continue to grow in the state of Ohio, that's really what our mission and goal was, is to have more reach and also to just ensure we're providing that accessibility,” he said.

The Well was made possible after a .5% income tax increase was passed in 2021. Maynard said it’s the city’s mission to make membership as accessible for residents as possible.

“So the people that pay those income taxes, that help fund our operation, do get a little bit of a price cut, and then the nonresidents have a little bit of a higher rate,” she said.

The Well offers annual, monthly and daily memberships.

The grand opening is Thursday from 5:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m. It’s open to the public to check out the facilities and discuss memberships. Pricing can be found by clicking here.