en.Wedoany.com Reported - The 60,000-square-foot Findlay Community Center project in Cincinnati, USA, is currently under construction. Costing $46 million, the facility includes an 8,400-square-foot early learning childcare center, public outdoor spaces, and a playground, and is expected to be completed in November this year.
Ismail Hassan, Senior Development Associate at 3CDC, told Construction Equipment Guide that the facility will offer a fitness center, indoor swimming pool, ice rink, gymnasium, indoor track, community activity rooms, and outdoor recreation areas, along with programs such as fitness classes, youth activities, sports leagues, and childcare services. The Over-the-Rhine (OTR) neighborhood has faced public safety and sanitation issues in recent years but is now undergoing a historic redevelopment phase. Hassan emphasized that engaging at-risk youth in positive programs is crucial for the long-term health and productivity of the community, as these initiatives help young people develop skills in social interaction, emotional management, confidence, leadership, communication, and problem-solving.
The site was originally the Findlay Playground, where infrastructure and play equipment had become outdated, lacking the programs, lighting, and amenities needed for sustained activities. Construction began in May 2025, and work completed to date includes site demolition, preparation of building pads, foundations, an underground stormwater retention system, structural load-bearing masonry, interior masonry walls in locker rooms, and installation of structural steel for the swimming pool, gymnasium, locker areas, ice rink, and parts of the lobby. Installation of TPO waterproofing membrane for the pool and underground utility work have also been finished. Steel structure work is ongoing in the lobby and childcare areas.
Sam Fintel, Project Manager at Skanska USA Building, told Construction Equipment Guide that the tight construction site creates logistical challenges, and handling auger cast piles requires dealing with underground obstacles such as abandoned houses, school foundations, cisterns, boulders, and brick debris. Pool excavation must be carried out via Goose Alley in the city, with workers operating near adjacent structures. Approximately 6,250 cubic yards of earth will be moved during construction, using heavy machinery including excavators, backhoe loaders, dump trucks, bulldozers, rollers, skid steer loaders, auger drills, cranes, pile drivers, concrete pump trucks, crawler cranes, and aerial work platforms. Key materials include auger cast piles, concrete foundations, CMU load-bearing walls, structural steel, concrete slabs, concrete and stainless steel pool structures, brick, metal panels, TPO waterproofing membrane, and sports flooring. Cold weather has been managed with temporary heating to ensure installation of load-bearing CMU blocks, and weather factors have not significantly impacted the project schedule.
