New Albany’s 185,890-square-foot Fieldhouse & Community Center is expected to begin welcoming the public in December, with programming following in early 2027. The parks district has scheduled an official ribbon-cutting for Jan. 8.

The two-story building sits across the street from Bevelhymer Park and houses a turf fieldhouse striped for soccer and lacrosse, an indoor track, and courts for basketball, pickleball and volleyball, CityScene Columbus reported. Classes and other programming will follow after the new year.

At an April 7 New Albany City Council meeting, Council Member Shull described the timeline as a soft opening at the end of December with tours, according to council minutes. Full occupancy and all programming would not start until early 2027. The project was on budget at that time, Shull said.

Membership will be free for residents in the New Albany-Plain Local School District. Added costs may apply for specific programs or leagues, Shull told council.

The roughly 2.2-mill, 30-year bond issue that funds the project passed in 2022. New Albany Parks and Recreation purchased land near Bevelhymer and Rocky Fork Dog Parks, broke ground in early 2024 and poured the final section of the indoor track's concrete in June.

Beyond athletics, the center fills a gap Recreation Superintendent Brian Smith said he heard about repeatedly: meeting space. Smith told CityScene that during the design phase, residents pointed to a shortage of gathering spots in New Albany beyond the Philip Heit Center and a couple of library rooms. The new building includes a 12-person conference room and classrooms on both floors, available for rent and for department programs ranging from fitness courses to sewing classes.

A second-floor STEM classroom, built through a partnership with Amazon, is called a Think Big Space. It will house 3D printers, vinyl cutters, a CNC machine and adjustable workbenches. Smith said it will be the second Think Big Space in the United States housed in a community center, out of more than 100 worldwide. Amazon said it invested $200,000 in the fieldhouse for the hands-on STEM lab, according to the company's community impact page.

The facility's turf and track could host Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) tournaments in lacrosse, soccer and track and field, CityScene reported. But Martyn Hughes, who chaired the political action committee for the 2022 bond issue and has coached soccer for roughly 34 years, said residents come first.

"I want to emphasize that this (was) not generated to be a profitable money maker for the New Albany Parks & Rec District," Hughes told CityScene. "It is there to be a tool for health, fitness and programming for the residents first. Everything else is secondary."

Kyle Sellers, vice president and partner at Ruscilli Construction, worked on the project and lives in the community with four children ages 8 to 16.

Smith said the Think Big Space and a golf simulator area were built with extra hookups so equipment can be added as demand grows.