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Mason is getting the community center addition plans into shape.

Mason is partnering with Tri-Health and Group Health Associates to build an estimated 75,000-square-foot addition to the community center.

City Manager Eric Hansen was hesitant to put a price tag on the structure, since plans are still fluid, but $20 million is in the ball park, he said.

"Twenty million dollars is a concept number for the entire site," Hansen said. "That includes site development costs, the Tri-Health portion, to planning for the community center addition. But I hate that being used as the price tag, because we don't even have the designs to go out to bid yet, much less go out to bid."

Tri-Health will have about 60 exam rooms and ancillary services in an addition to be built on the front side of the existing MCC, and the city's portion of the addition will be to the rear of the building. There will be a shared entrance to the entire expanded community center.

The city and medical providers have worked out a lease arrangement that will cover most of the construction costs, and Tri-Health and GHA will share in operating costs of the facility.

"Their lease payment will recoup the costs that we undergo for building their office space as well as a sizeable part of the expansion," he said. "They are going to pay for a lot of it."

But that's not the sweetest part of the deal, according to Hansen. The increased traffic, use of fitness facilities for rehabilitation and exposure to the community center from the medical facilities will be invaluable.

Hansen said there are more partnership possibilities for the community center part of the expansion. They might find someone who wants to open a spa or a pro shop. Expanding existing facilities like the kids corner are also in the plans.

Another component that is a strong possibility in the still-fluid plans is a warm water pool for rehabilitation.

Tim Gamann, chief operating officer for Group Health Associates, said they expect to have 25 physicians working at the community center site when they are at full capacity. They will be bringing a host of speciality practices to the site as well, including dermatology, mammography, obstetrics and gynecology, a radiology lab, senior care, and of course the practices that would most use the community center facilities, orthopedics.

Hansen said the goal is to begin construction in 2009 and open in 2010.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.