Grant Career Center seeks $59 million overhaul; OFCC to fund majority, local share on November ballot

Grant Career Center leaders told the New Richmond Exempted Village Board that the center has been approved by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and will ask voters in November to help fund a $59 million campus reconfiguration.

"We have a really, really exciting opportunity at Grant Career Center — we have been moved to the top of the OFCC list," said Mike Perry, superintendent of Grant Career Center, as he and a colleague walked board members through facility needs and the ballot plan. The center’s leaders said the project grew out of a 2021 strategic plan and a master facilities assessment that found the 50-year-old main building does not meet modern career-technical education standards.

Why it matters: Presenters said the project addresses safety and accessibility problems (multiple unsecured entrances, a single congested driveway and inaccessible mezzanine classroom spaces), inefficient mechanical systems (dozens of rooftop HVAC units and leaky original windows) and lack of adequate shop and cross-program project spaces required by contemporary employers.

What’s proposed: The district will present two ballot measures to voters — a 1.15-mill bond and a 0.84-mill permanent-improvement levy — that together were described in the presentation as roughly 1.99 mills. Presenters stated that, if approved, the OFCC will fund about 58% of the $59 million (approximately $34 million) and the local share would be about $25 million. The presentation estimated the combined levy would cost about $5.80 per month on a $100,000 appraised home.

Presenters emphasized the plan is not an across-the-board teardown. Perry said recently upgraded spaces — including a new metal fabrication building and renovated allied health area funded in part by an $8.5 million competitive state grant — would be retained and connected to new additions while other portions would be demolished and rebuilt as needed.

The presenters also described outreach plans: a landing page, a one-page quick facts sheet with ballot language and FAQs, a QR code for materials, and a schedule of community meetings (one set for Sept. 15 at the high-school media center). They said the local share must be generated within 16 months of OFCC approval and that the ballot will appear in all four associate districts served by the career center.

What they said: Kelly (representing Grant Career Center) told the board the center serves the four associate districts — New Richmond, Bethel, Williamsburg and Felicity — and returns operating dollars to those districts through satellite programming and career-discovery funds. "New Richmond was the recipient of about 430,000 of that" repayment this year, Kelly said, calling it a benefit to associate schools.

Next steps: Grant Career Center leaders will continue community outreach and return to discuss details as plans are finalized. The board set a community meeting at the district’s high-school media center for Sept. 15 to host the presenters.

Provenance: Presentation began at SEG 031 and continued through SEG 676.