Commissioners listen to presentation on proposed industrial park child-care facility
ASHLAND - Chief Program Officer of the Ashland County Community Foundation Kristin Aspin presented a PowerPoint proposal on a new child-care facility to be built at the city's industrial park during Thursday's Ashland County Commissioners meeting.
The new facility would be approximately 12,400 square feet and would be open for operation during non-traditional work hours.
More: Ashland County Commissioners approve amending contract for Rite Aid building sale
“We currently do not have any licensed child care currently available to service families during non-traditional hours,” said Aspin. “That would be before 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Affordability is a factor. A single female with two children earning a medium income would spend 74% of her income on child care. And that is not sustainable.”
Aspin said the facility would create around 20 full-time jobs at the center itself.
“We respectfully request a contribution of $500,000 to the child-care initiative specifically from American Rescue Plan dollars that have been allocated to our county," she said.
“I think it is an excellent idea,” said Commissioner Mike Welch. “There is no doubt there is a hindrance to productivity to these companies. It gives them a real incentive to buy into this.”
Brenda Uselton from BCU Electric and Realtor Barbie Lange both spoke and gave their support of the project.
Job and Family Services has multiple hires
Ronda Mollenkopf and Crystal Leiter were both appointed to the position of eligibility referral specialist at Job and Family Services with a starting wage of $15.52 per hour beginning May 16.
Anthony Spencer was appointed to the position of START caseworker with a starting wage of $20.23 per hour beginning May 16.
Jesse Wilfong was appointed to the position of social service worker 2 with a starting wage of $20.98 per hour and will begin May 30 and Kaleigh Medley was appointed to the position of social service worker I with a starting pay of $17.79 per hour beginning May 16.
All positions were from the recommendation of J&FS Director Peter Stefaniuk.
Statements of qualifications will be accepted until noon on May 26 for both the Rite Aid building and the Job & Family Services Interior Remodeling Project.
Stefaniuk explained the creation of two full-time eligibility referral specialist 3 employees to commissioners. The jobs are in the IV-E division and will have a starting pay of $17.79 per hour.
Guardrail installation bids end in June
Advertising for all labor, materials, tools and equipment for the 2022 County Guardrail Installation and Upgrade Project will be accepted until 9:15 a.m. on June 2.
A general warranty deed was authorized to be processed for the Commissioners' sale of property of four parcels to the City of Ashland. These parcels are the parking lots at the Department of Job and Family Services building.
Travel was approved for Kerri Schaub and Betty Honaker on May 18-19 and for Dana Gillespie on May 12 and June 13.
An amendment to the grant with Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the Ashland County Corner Park Trail was authorized and extends the completion date to June 30, 2023.
Negotiations to continue with Career Center on building purchase
At the end of the meeting Commissioner James Justice talked about his disappointment with the ongoing negotiations with the Career Center for the purchase of the current Health Department building located on state Route 60 and the Commissioners.
“They are offering $500,000 for the building, which we were told before the pandemic was worth $750,000," Justice said. "They are willing to cover everything for the EMA and Health Department until Jan. 1 and they want $4 a square foot for however longer we are in that building. I’m aghast. I don’t think it is fair. I don’t think it is right. I think we worked in good faith with them and gave them a $250,000 break and probably more as all the real estate is up. I am very disappointed. Negotiations are always hard.”
“I would suggest we table it,” said Commissioner Denny Bittle. “Until we go back to more negotiations. That is news to me that they wanted us to pay rent. It kind of shocks me.”
No further action was taken.
Commissioners went into executive session at approximately 10 a.m. for the purpose of compensation of a public employee and again at 11 a.m. to discuss imminent litigation.
UP NEXT The commissioners will meet Thursday, May 12 at 9 a.m. in the Commissioner’s Conference Room on the second floor of the County Office Building. The meetings are open to the public, but also live-streamed on the Ashland, OH County Government Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland may have a new child-care facility in the industrial park
