ONTARIO — The co-owner of a trampoline park coming to Ontario hopes the community will think it was “worth the wait.”
Bill Friedman anticipates that the Ontario Altitude Trampoline Park, 2190 W. 4th St, will open around mid-August.
“Due to unavoidable delays, progress has been slower than expected. However, we are now moving very rapidly toward opening the park,” Friedman said. “We sincerely apologize to the Ontario community that the park has taken longer than expected, but we hope the park will be worth the wait.”
The project began last fall but delays kept the park from opening in spring as Friedman anticipated in an earlier Richland Source article.
He and his partner were looking to start a business together, when they settled on building a trampoline park.
“My business partner, Dave Newhouse, had taken his daughters to a trampoline park in Canton and saw the fun they had,” Friedman said.
While there are trampoline parks in Columbus, too, there’s nothing nearby. The duo found Altitude and decided to open their own franchisee.
“(It’s) a great organization that provides an atmosphere in which we were proud to participate,” Friedman said. “We want to offer Ontario the best and safest possible park.”
In search of a location, the men hit the streets.
“Finding the building was strange, good luck,” Friedman said.
He and Newhouse were driving through Ontario when Friedman spotted old Circuit City building next to Toys R Us.
“This is our park location,” he remembers saying.
The location offered plenty of parking and the ceiling height that’s required for such a business, but it would require some work.
“Basically, we have to demolish the indoor of the building,” said Brad Maurer, the project’s architect with Alexander and Associates Architects in November 2016. “We have approximately 25,800 square feet and we are covering 18,000 square feet with trampolines.”
First reported as $1.3 million investment, Friedman says it’s grown into a $2 million project.
“The layout and features of the park have evolved and grown,” he said.
The park will include three high-performance trampolines, two long trampolines for tumbling, three designated for flips and a few more for fun or exercise.
Plus, there are two dodgeball courts, rock walls and “battle beams,” where people try to knock one another off a balance beam into a foam pit.
Toddlers will have a special section to jump without interference from larger kids, but they are also welcome in the other areas.
“We intend to offer dodgeball leagues, exercise classes and lots of birthday parties,” Friedman said.
Outside of the jumping space, there will be a snack area, interactive arcade and a lounge space with televisions.
“The most important thing we want to convey is that we want to be a good member of the community,” Friedman said. “The park should always feel like a safe, friendly and clean environment for families.”
The lighting and sound system are currently being installed, and the trampolines will be moved in soon.
Four full-time managers have already been hired, and in July the business will begin interviewing to hire 50 to 60 part-time staff members.
Altitude Trampoline Parks is a family-owned and operated franchise. There are now 32 locations worldwide and 39 more are slated to open this year as the phenomenon grows.
“The growth of trampoline parks worldwide has been very dramatic in recent years,” Friedman said.
To learn more about the park visit its website. Or for a chance to win free jump passes, follow the Altitude Trampoline Park – Mansfield on Facebook. Friedman frequently holds contests, too.
“I also want to say how great everyone in the Ontario community has been to work with,” he said. “The government agencies, local contractors and the community as a whole has been so cooperative.”
