Council Approves $2.5M Storm Repairs at Barack, Berliner
An emergency ordinance passed October 5 pays for August 11 storm work at four city rec sites. Status: Approved by council; Barack reopening targeted late spring 2027.
Columbus City Council on Monday night approved Ordinance 2461-2026, an emergency measure that shifts $2.5 million inside the Recreation and Parks capital funds to cover damage from the August 11 storm. The vote on the October 5 agenda item was 9 to 0, and as an emergency the measure can take effect once the mayor signs it. It names four sites: Barack Community Center, Lou Berliner Sports Park, the pickleball complex at Busch Park and the Fran Ryan Center.
Most of the money is for Barack, the community center at 580 E. Woodrow Ave. inside Lincoln Park on the South Side. The legislation describes extensive roof and HVAC damage and water that got into the building. Recreation and Parks has already signed a $2 million emergency contract with 2K General Co. to dry the center out, protect what is inside and pin down the full scope of work. The department favored that builder partly because its roofing subcontractor, JB Roofing, renovated the same roof in 2006. A rough early estimate puts a full restoration near $5 million, and the department says it will come back for the balance once plans and prices are verified.
The other $500,000 is spread across smaller jobs. The ordinance pencils in about $400,000 to replace downed light poles and electrical lines at Berliner, a heavily booked sports park off Greenlawn Avenue; about $100,000 for new lighting and an electrical panel so the Busch Park pickleball courts can reopen; and about $50,000 to rebuild the Fran Ryan Center's hot box, a small heated shed that shields the building's main water valves. That shed has to be custom built and heated before the first hard freeze.
In an October 1 update, Recreation and Parks said the Barack roof has been left untarped because covering it is not safe or practical, and that the open air is helping the gym dry out. Fall programs moved to the Marion Franklin and Driving Park community centers, and Saturday morning youth basketball now meets at Marion Franklin. The stated goal is to reopen Barack in late spring 2027.
For South Side families who used Barack for after-school programs, food programs and as a cooling or warming center, that means a longer trip through at least this winter. While the gym is closed, our rainy day with kids guide and the Best Winter Activities for Toddlers list cover indoor options, and the South Side page collects what else is close to Lincoln Park.
