Bryn Du, LCCC talk about refurbishing barn
Bryn Du is looking forward to its new tenant arriving early next year in the form of the Licking County Community Center for 60+ Adults.
It was recently announced that the Bryn Du Commission and the LCCC are forging a new partnership that will find the LCCC moving onto the Bryn Du Mansion site for all of its activities and offerings.
Key to that plan is an envisioned multi-million dollar refurbishing of the historic former horse barn that stands behind Bryn Du Mansion.
On Sept. 17, Bryn Du and LCCC officials provided a deeper look into the new partnership, their plans for restoring and converting the barn through public-private partnerships, grants and donations, and the synergies they see between the two institutions.
Bryn Du Commission President Candi Moore said LCCC activities and staff will begin using Bryn Du’s facilities well-ahead of the barn’s conversion to public use.
She said a couple offices on the second floor of the mansion are already being prepped for LCCC staffers. The mansion, its allied carriage house (which has its own kitchen), the arts center and the adjacent field house are all ready to host LCCC events.
Moore said the BDC and LCCC held discussions leading to the new partnership, “for a number of months. We looked at various options out here and decided it was a good fit.”
“The one great thing we discovered,” Moore said, “is their programming is primarily Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We have very little going on at that time. It works out very well for us.”
Shifting of programming from LCCC’S present location at 3825 Columbus Road within the Granville Corporate Park to Bryn Du will come early in 2022, likely in late January.
As to beginning work on converting the barn, Moore said, “We have to fundraise and start organizing around that.” Some preliminary design sketches have been created, and cost for the barn conversion project is estimated at $2.1 million, Moore said.
The first floor of the barn would be the “LCCC’S home,” as Moore put it. That lower level will include office space, meeting rooms, and a kitchen she said.
The barn will also see installation of an elevator and its arching upper level which already includes a stage-like platform would become an open “multipurpose space that anyone could use,” Moore said. “We could have performances. We could have lectures…we could have people up there doing yoga.”
The LCCC continues to see steady growth, according to Theresa Contini, LCCC Communications Director. It draws participants from across western Licking County and has 600 registered members, Contini said.
Adam Gibbs, Board President of LCCC, confirmed “We’re exponentially growing every year.”
In terms of merging logistics and scheduling, Bryn Du and the LCCC are working with Denison’s Red Frame Labs.
Gibbs said, “We view this as a partnership between the LCCC and Bryn Du Mansion, but it aligns with our mission which is to provide engaging educational cultural and social programs, each fostering new and meaningful relationships while encouraging independence. I think that’s why you’re seeing so much growth with our center. We are about building-up our senior citizens. (Bryn Du’s) mission and our mission in this complex is a perfect fit for us. I think that’s what we more excited about.”
Moore agreed, “Both groups are really excited about it. Our missions fit really well, and our time of use fits really well. We think it will be a great addition having them here.”