Step By Step Academy Update
By Suzy Davis, Colonial Hills Resident and I Am Boundless Executive Director
As a resident of Colonial Hills and the executive director of I Am Boundless, a provider of supports and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, I am excited to share news about the recent merger between I Am Boundless and Step By Step Academy.
In May, I Am Boundless officially merged with Step by Step Academy, a non-profit provider of outpatient behavioral health services and center-based educational services for children with autism. As part of the merger, I Am Boundless will now oversee the usage and maintenance of the Step By Step Academy campus just north of Colonial Hills.
I Am Boundless, formerly Franklin County Residential Services, merged with Step By Step Academy to broaden our mission of serving the community and to preserve the longstanding purpose and spirit of the property, which is providing valuable mental and behavioral health services and programs.
As we begin to make plans for Step By Step Academy and the campus, we wanted to let you know that all of us at I Am Boundless are committed to getting to know our community, being good neighbors and remaining transparent about our plans. On that note, here’s information that might answer some of the questions you might have about our plans for the property.
• We plan to maintain the park-like setting of the campus and to keep the back gate at Indianola Avenue closed to traffic, which we know has been a concern for many residents.
• Our current plan is for the campus to be used by social service and nonprofit organizations, which includes moving the I Am Boundless corporate headquarters to the campus so that our leadership team can be very involved in what happens there daily.
• There are three buildings on the campus that have not been maintained for decades. We share the community’s concern about the safety and appearance of these buildings and have received approval from the Worthington Architectural Review Board (ARB) to demolish two of them. We will be re-evaluating the third building in collaboration with the ARB.
• We will likely restore two other historical buildings on the campus — the former icehouse and an original home of Dr. Harding II, which are in better condition and do not present a safety hazard. We will continue to work closely with the ARB on the restoration projects, as well as with the City Planning Office and Worthington Police and Fire departments, which have all been very supportive of our plans.
• We are in the process of making improvements to enhance the beauty and safety of the campus, including removing dead trees, filling potholes and renovating some of the buildings. It’s a big project and we kindly ask for your patience as we establish a master plan.
We are so grateful to be a part of the Worthington community. We love having our neighbors walk their dogs, ride their bikes and enjoy the peacefulness of the campus. We will continue to keep you posted about our plans as they develop through the Colonial Hills Civic Association. If you have questions, concerns or would like a tour of our campus, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Thank you for your support!
Suzy Davis
Executive Director, Boundless
sdavis@iamboundless.org
614.844.3800 Ext. 225
Kendra Smith
Director, Behavioral Health Services
ksmith@iamboundless.org
614.436.7837
Nathan Henninger, PhD.
Director of Step by Step Clinical and Educational Programs
nhenninger@stepbystepacademy.org
614.436.7837 Ext. 2267