The Strongsville Town Center redevelopment project is officially complete, and it features a little something for everyone.
Children of all ages now have a place to stay cool on hot summer days at the new splash pad or burn off energy at the playground that’s compliant with The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Meanwhile, anyone looking to be more active now has a variety of options at their fingertips, including paved walking trails, a sand volleyball court, tennis and pickleball courts and a half basketball court. And those interested in participating in activities that encourage a sense of togetherness can now do so through a slew of events held at the updated Town Center.
“Now we have amenities for all the people in Strongsville; it keeps people active and it’s a nice gathering spot for the community,” says Bryan Bogre, director of parks, recreation and senior services for the city of Strongsville.
How It Started
Conversations surrounding a Town Center update began in 2020 when Bogre approached Mayor Tom Perciak and requested funds to build a new playground.
While he originally asked for $600,000 for the new structure, it evolved into something greater as more people became involved in the project.
“The meeting morphed as more people came into it, and at the end of the meeting, I had a million dollars for a playground,” Bogre says.
Over the next several weeks and months, discussions continued, and so did the scope of the project. It pivoted from adding a playground and eliminating one baseball field to eliminating all three baseball fields and putting in new amenities for all residents, such as pickleball and tennis courts, a splash pad, a sand volleyball court and a half basketball court.
“It went from just one playground to everything that we have down there now,” Bogre says.
He adds that the redevelopment of the Town Center — which spans 88 acres and includes the Commons, library and rec center — also stemmed from an economic development initiative.
“We have all these business parks in the city of Strongsville, and we started thinking about what amenities we would have if the families of those employees moved here,” Bogre says.
He adds the renovation certainly delivers on revamping the area’s conveniences and niceties.
“Now, you go down there, and on a nice day, you see hundreds of people utilizing the playground or pickleball and tennis courts or just hanging out down there,” Bogre says. “We have pickleball and tennis leagues and tournaments, sand volleyball leagues and so on; we’re trying to use all the different areas of the park.”
Also incorporated throughout the park are paved walking trails, which make crucial connections with some of the area’s most notable landmarks. Part of the Strongsville Town Center Enhancement and Walkability Initiative project, the trails aim to improve walkability in the area while constructing amenities that are particularly beneficial to families and children with disabilities.
“It keeps an area designated for people to walk around,” Bogre says. “Everything’s connected from the middle school all the way to the park. We added a new sidewalk, too, so it’s much safer for the kids to walk from the middle school to the park or rec center.”
The Details
Opened in October 2024, the Town Center’s splash pad features two large circles that spray water up from the ground. As a bonus, it also lights up.
“It’s just something that the kids can run in and get wet and cool off,” Bogre says. “If you’re there at nighttime, like if we have an event going on at the park, there are lights that come up out of the ground. They just add a little touch to it.”
Also unveiled in October 2024, the playground features a soft rubber surface and is ADA compliant.
The playground is separated into two sections: one for children 2 to 5 years old with smaller features, and one for children 6 to 12 years old, with bigger slides, walkway areas, hanging apparatuses and more, Bogre says.
The playground also boasts numerous swings, including an ADA-compliant swing and a mommy-and-me swing. The bigger playground structure features five ramps, each with interactive play features, so children of all ability levels can engage with the playground area as well.
Community Events
Children aren’t the only ones who can enjoy the park’s refreshed energy. People of all ages can kick back and take in the summer series of events set to be held in the vast green space area of the park.
The lineup includes a five-part concert series, outdoor movie nights, farmers markets, a Touch-A-Truck event and more. Aside from entry fees for tournaments and leagues and food and alcohol sold at events, every event hosted at the park is free to the public, Bogre says.
“People have been coming to us for years asking for more community events and functions, so this is a way to get the community together,” Bogre says.
