Existing building has reached its service limit between its age and increasing maintenance costs
Andrew Mullin
From top left to bottom right: Joe Harwood, building supervisor and member of the Greater Midland Community Center on Nov. 18, 2021. Midland resident Cory Jeske works his legs on a linear leg press on Nov. 18, 2021 in the Greater Midland Community Center. Terri Johnson, president and CEO of Greater Midland, poses with a basketball on Nov. 18, 2021. Lifeguard Chris Egan scouts the Oasis Pool on Nov. 18, 2021 in the Greater Midland Community Center
One of the first tasks Joe Harwood gave himself upon his arrival to Midland was visiting Greater Midland’s Community Center.
“I was just dumbfounded, I had never seen a facility like this,” said the building supervisor about his first time at the community center. “From the outside, it looked like a school and it had a long walkway. And when I got inside, I saw what it had: there was a gym, pool and swimming pool off the lobby... It was fairly spacious.”
“It was a very friendly environment,” he continued. “I knew I was going to become a member, and I am still a member.”
The building that once appeared to hold education classrooms has become a home-awayfrom-home for Harwood over the last 33 years. However, the building has reached its service limit between its age and increasing costs to maintain the structure.
The current building is 65 years old and Greater Midland hopes the new building will last during the next century.
The nonprofit’s President and CEO Terri Johnson said she makes the announcement with mixed emotions.
“It really is an institution in this community — it’s a part of the fabric of Midland,” she said. “But then, you have to soon realize that it’s not about the brick-and-mortar. It’s about what you can do inside the building and what it provides to the community, and then you flip it to pure excitement.”
Brick-and-mortar hits its limit
In Harwood’s time at Greater Midland, he said the community center has had several additions and building maintenance since 1975 in order to support the aged building.
The proposed building is 117,000 square feet, which is less than half the size of the current building, according to Greater Midland. The planned building size would significantly decrease operation costs while being able to offer its key programming options.
In the current building, 30,000 square feet of the total footage is space dedicated to hallways. According to the nonprofit, many spaces are only used 15-20% of the time and others are never used.
In the new building proposal, Greater Midland says its goal is to use most spaces 80% or more of the time.
And spaces will be more welcoming with more outdoor light and new innovative technologies, Johnson said. Two age groups specifically with more views of the outdoors will be seniors and teens. According to the proposed building features, senior and teenaged youth will be able to access more natural light and windows.
A new building is also an opportunity to create an inclusive space. More than six decades ago, building requirements, such as the ones that are outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act, were not in place.
According to the nonprofit, a “universal design” of the new building will make an effort to be more accessible to all members and users regardless of age, ability, sexual orientation or other factors.
Fond memories from existing building and programs
Many Midland area residents have memories and current stories about the activities and programs at the community center. That’s something Greater Midland hopes to take into account while it plans a new building at 2205 Jefferson Ave. in Midland.
One Midland mother, Ann Terry, said Greater Midland’s summer programs at the community center help ease the burden of a working parent looking for childcare.
Ann said her 12-year-old son, Colin, is often recognized by counselors and children in attendance at the summer camps over seven years.
She said she hopes the ROCK program sees more investment or it is widely advertised because it’s a program Colin could consider attending after aging out of summer camp.
The ROCK (Reaching Our Community Kids) Center for Youth Development is another nonprofit organization in Midland County, which partners with Greater Midland.
Responding to changing demands
Harwood said Greater Midland is charged with serving and responding to community demand and needs for various activities. For example, he said activities like racquetball have decreased over the years, and pickleball interest is increasing.
“The new community center, from what I understand, is going to have some pickleball areas in the gyms,” he said. “Now, I recently bought some new equipment here so that’s, that’s in the works.”
Community members and users, including billiards players, have heard rumors about the community center rebuild for quite some time. After today’s formal announcement, Greater Midland plans to engage with its stakeholders on what the rebuild could look like.
Johnson said input is valuable to the nonprofit as it moves forward and it will help drive Greater Midland into the details of the building design and other elements. She said the group plans on consulting with employees, members, users and the building’s neighbors.
One of the goals with the new building is to integrate the campus with other Midland locations like Central Park and the Miracle Field, according to its proposal.
Center officials weren’t ready to discuss an estimated cost for the rebuild or fundraising efforts that will be involved. However, Johnson did indicate there has been enough support from key foundations and community organizations for Greater Midland to move forward. Look to the Daily News for more information as it becomes available.
