Montgomery County has been paying roughly $4 million annually to keep the center’s presence on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard. The Job Center’s lease with the building’s owner, St. Vincent de Paul, ends on May 31.
Commissioners on Tuesday approved the land purchase agreement for the Harrison Twp. property for $500,000, with the potential of other adjacent parcels being purchased in a future development phase. The county will enter a 90-day due diligence period, which will include surveys, inspections and reviews of environmental and soil conditions. The county expects to close on the property this summer, pending the results of these reviews.
The Job Center relocation project will have an overall estimated price tag of up to $45 million.
The Forest Park site has developable land and is located near other county facilities — Montgomery County Children Services and the Stillwater Center on Main Street. County officials said that this fact, paired with the property’s proximity to public transportation lines, led to the county moving forward with the land purchase.
“We will now have a human services corridor, for the county and for all the residents that will be a great service line for everyone,” said Montgomery County Administrator Michael Colbert.
Originally opened in 1928, Forest Park was home to a zoo, which closed in 1935. The site later became Frankie’s Forest Park amusement destination, and later it became Forest Park Plaza. The shopping complex was demolished in 2013.
Shannon Meadows, Harrison Twp. administrator, said her community has been waiting to see what the next era would be for Forest Park — the site carries a lot of emotion for Harrison Twp., she said.
“Montgomery County has been a strong community partner, and we are excited to work together to bring new life to the Forest Park property,” said Meadows. “The Job and Training Center is a natural fit for this North Main Street location and represents real progress on a site residents have asked about for many years.”
The new Job and Training Center will bring renewed purpose to the historic site, transforming it into a hub for public services, county officials say.
When the county’s lease ends at Edwin C. Moses Blvd., services will be relocated to temporary spaces. Adult career services will move to the Business Solutions Center on Cincinnati Street. Youth services will move to the Employment Opportunity Center on West Third St. in Dayton, and the Job and Family Services office will move to the Southview Center on Thorpe Drive.
The relocation will also move some employees from the Job Center to the Madison Lakes Learning and Conference Center in the Trotwood area.
The Job Center has been at its Dayton office on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard since the ‘90s. It houses a host of social services: workforce programs, food assistance, Medicaid access, child support and child care, youth services, reentry programs and more.
In 2016, the county completed a $10 million reconfiguration of the building that created new divisions with colorful entryways to guide residents to tailored services.
From 2016 through 2026, the county will have spent approximately $40.1 million on rent and renovations to the building, officials estimate.
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