Bradfield Community Center Executive Director Chris Jackson spoke Monday about his goals for the community center during the Lima Rotary Club meeting at Veterans Memorial Civic Center.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — Bradfield Community Center executive director Chris Jackson is looking to foster the same sense of community that is in his organization’s name. On Monday, he brought that message to the Lima Rotary Club.
Jackson took over at the Bradfield Community Center last April. During that time, he said, he has been looking into how to expand the center’s prominence in Lima, even touring other community centers in neighboring cities for inspiration.
“We want to see people back at the Bradfield,” Jackson said. “So we’ve talked about some of the capital improvements that we’ve made and some of the capital improvements that we’re looking to do.”
Some of those improvements have come through upgrades at the center’s outdoor basketball courts, as well as the installation of both heating and air conditioning inside the building, paid for with state grants. This year, Jackson hopes to foster new growth in the facility, making it a premium community destination for everyone.
“In the next seven months, we’re looking to expand our programming and bringing in more funding to where we can bring in more young people,” he said. “We’ve got our senior programs that are going really well, but we need to get the young people in there. So I’m looking forward to seeing those young faces running around the building.”
While he was not prepared to make an announcement at the Rotary Club meeting, Jackson did hint at a forthcoming announcement that he hopes will spur some of that youth involvement.
“I’ve met with (Lima Superintendent) Jill (Ackerman) and I’ve met with the mayor, so this announcement is going to be pretty big,” he said. “We feel this announcement will bring the young people back into Bradford.”
Jackson is also hoping to see the center expand to help accommodate more community use.
“Over the next five years, my goal is not only to expand Bradfield at its current location but also to add to it,” he said. “We’re looking at other buildings around us. We want to get Bradfield back to where people drive by, the parking lot is full. There are kids on the basketball court and there are kids in the playground area. We want to be the hub.”
To learn more about programs currently available at the Bradfield Center, go to bradfieldlima.org or call 419-228-7766.
