To Engage, Enrich and Empower
Lydia Gadd, director of the Westlake Community Services Department, welcomes guests to a preview tour of the city's new Community Services Center on May 27. Photo by Denny Wendell
Westlake’s new Community Services facility ready to open
The city of Westlake's newly constructed Community Services Center is set to open to the public by June 7.
Located next to the Westlake Recreation Center, at 28975 Hilliard Blvd., the facility is accessible via both Center Ridge Road and Hilliard Boulevard by way of Rec Center Drive.
The Center is about double the size of the old Community Services Center at 28,000 square feet, and has more space for a cafe, a classroom, a exercise studio, a theater, and an art room.
The Community Services department serves the Westlake community with youth programs, food assistance distributions, lifelong learning, fitness and wellness programs.
Adults age 50 and older were in mind when the Center was designed, incorporating: bright light with floor-to-ceiling windows; a hearing loop for the hearing impaired; touchless faucets; and easy wayfinding. Wayfinding is the use of signage and color that helps one orient themselves and navigate within a physical space.
The Center's staff can keep a mindful eye on the parking lot with office windows that face the parking lot. Sidewalks in front of the Center will be heated in the winter for a non-slip surface. Outside there are bocce ball courts, a walking trail and pickleball courts.
The staff invites the community to visit the new Center and learn more about the facility and its programs.
The Observer will be sponsoring Mayor Dennis Clough's State of the City address at the Center on Tuesday, July 13, at 7:00 p.m. The event is open to the public.