The Changing Face of Springfield

Ohio Valley Medical Center Administrator Steve Eistentrager talked of the surgical center having done 1,000 surgeries in its first month of operation (pardon the pun) and forecasting it would do 10,000 per year. What intrigued me was another statement he made at our Networking at Night event recently. He said those 10,000 procedures would lead to 30,000 people coming downtown on an annual basis as patients and to visit those patients, plus 100 staff, not counting doctors. Then, when Clark State announced last week plans to build a Creative Arts and Conference Center adjacent to the Performing Arts Center, President Karen Rafinski made reference to the number of students who would be coming downtown. We’ve been talking about how the yet-to-be-named Center City Park, the Springfield Regional Medical Center and the ice arena would bring people to the downtown area. And what happens when people begin gathering in a certain area? It spurs other development. Andy Bell, who is heading the fundraising campaign for the $5.8 million Arts and Conference Center, wondered out loud if any other community in the country has as many projects going on as does Springfield. The face of this community is changing for the better. Have a great Chamber day!