Warren County church to expand its campus

St. Francis DeSales Catholic Church plans to build a new parish center on its campus.

The church received approval from Lebanon Planning Commission to construct a 9,730-square-foot parish center west of the school and connected with a covered walkway. The campus is at 20 DeSales Ave.

Chris Hinkel, president of Dryden Builders of Dayton, said the estimated cost of the project would be $2.6 million.

Hinkel said “permit applications would be submitted to Warren County by the end of the week. We hope to start construction by April 1.”

The new parish center will face DeSales Avenue and will contain offices, a conference room, and a 1,933-square-foot gathering area, according to documents submitted to the city. Officials said the building materials will match the new church building materials and would include a courtyard between the buildings.

In addition to the new parish center, a 40-foot by 40-foot playground will be constructed in the area where a baseball field is now located and new fencing will be installed as part of the project.

The church and school were dedicated in 1961 on the nearly 10-acre site. In 2013, the new 11,450 square foot sanctuary and associated site amenities were completed, including a parking lot expansion in anticipation of this project.

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