Construction, demolition, Central Connections controversy highlight Middletown's 2023
Dec. 31—MIDDLETOWN — Major construction and demolition projects, controversy at the senior center, a new look City Council and the suspension of the police chief grabbed some of the headlines this year in Middletown.
Here are some of the biggest stories in the city for 2023: the city broke ground on the first of four fire stations; City Council approved plans to demolish the former Middletown Paperboard four years after a major fire; four City Council members were sworn in and Police Chief David Birk was placed on administrative leave the same month; the city moved forward with plans to build a $200 million project in the East End; and the city purchased Central Connections with $1.8 million after its former executive director was terminated.
Building of four fire stations
The city held a ground-breaking for its Middletown Division of Fire Headquarters, Station 83, on Sept. 18 at the site of the former Garfield School at the corner of Yankee Road and Cherry Street.
Fire Chief Thomas Snively said fire headquarters, expected to open in November 2024, will provide "better public safety" to Middletown residents and better working conditions for firefighters and paramedics.
"It will have a huge impact on this community for the next 50 years," he said then.
Middletown last built a fire station in 1977, and the oldest one was constructed in 1946, he said.
The four fire stations — headquarters, stations 81, 82 and 85 — are being built with tax funds and federal funds. In May 2022, voters overwhelmingly approved a 1-mill property tax levy expected to generate $16.9 million that, at the time, residents were told was enough to cover the construction costs.
But since then, due to escalating construction and material costs, the projected price tag is $26.8 million, or $9.9 million over earlier estimates, using worst-case scenarios, according to city leaders.
To offset the gap in funding, City Council approved issuing bonds in the maximum amount of $10.4 million.
Future of Central Connections
In the last six months of the year, Diane Rodgers, executive director of Central Connections, the city's senior citizens and event center, was terminated; most of the staff was laid off; services were reduced; the city purchased the property for $1.8 million with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and city and business leaders have started the task of figuring out future plans for the property.
The $1.8 million purchase price, which is $300,000 less than the property was appraised by the Butler County Auditor's Office before the $1.5 million renovations, was paid to Middletown Senior Citizens Inc., the owner of the property, said City Manager Paul Lolli.
Lolli said the non-profit owes about $700,000 to First Financial Bank and $300,000 to the IRS. On July 29, 2022, Rodgers signed a mortgage loan through First Financial Bank for $450,000, then did a loan modification that increased the amount to $650,000, according to the Butler County Recorder's Office.
Central Connections found itself in financial difficulty after Rodgers was terminated in July. She is under investigation for possible theft, though no charges have been filed, according to Middletown police.
This is the second time Middletown residents have invested in the center. Voters approved two five-year, 1-mill senior levies that generated $7 million to provide or maintain senior services at the center. The levy expired on Dec. 31, 2022, after 10 years.
Counting the $1.8 million purchase price, $8.8 million in taxpayers' money has been spent on the center in the last 11 years.
Four council members in; police chief on leave
Earlier this month, the face of City Council and the police department changed for very different reasons.
The three newest City Council members and mayor were sworn-in during a historic ceremony in Council Chambers.
For the first time in city history, four members, or 80% of council, were sworn in together. Typically, depending on the election cycle, either two or three members take the oath of office.
All four — mayor-elect Elizabeth Slamka and council members Jennifer Carter, Paul Horn and Steve West II — were sworn in.
Slamka, Carter and West II were elected on Nov. 7, and Horn, a Middletown businessman, was selected by City Council to fill the two-year, unexpired term when Rodney Muterspaw resigned his seat in November due to family health issues.
The new council will hold its first meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Just weeks later, Birk was placed on paid administrative leave "until further notice," according to Lolli, who declined further comment.
Birk was named chief in December 2019.
Deputy Chief Maj. Eric Crank is the acting police chief.
Birk did not respond to the Journal-News for comment.
He was immediately suspended from any and all work duties, according to the letter. He was instructed to relinquish city keys and fobs, his service weapon and police officer badge, passwords and codes. He was also instructed not to communicate with other city employees during normal work hours and remain at home and provide (the city) with a phone number where he can be reached immediately during work hours.
Lolli said in the last line of the letter, "this administrative leave is not a disciplinary action or adverse employment action."
Birk began his career with MPD in 1997 as a patrol officer and moved up the ranks .
Demolition of Middletown Paperboard
Four years ago, the city saw one of its most extensive and expensive fires.
Now, the city has made plans to demolish and clean up the former Middletown Paperboard site on Verity Parkway.
City Council recently voted to authorize an agreement with Renascent Inc. for professional services at a cost of $2.27 million, covered by a $3 million ARPA grant the city received from the Butler County Commissioners.
Once the asbestos abatement has been completed, the structure can start to be demolished, possibly by mid-November.
When completed, the 14-acre site, which has been described as "an eyesore" in the city's gateway, will be ready for commercial/light industrial use, but not residential, according to officials.
On Jan. 1, 2020, the former paperboard was destroyed in a fire that was started when a homeless man living inside the building built a fire to stay warm. He left to get more wood for the fire, but upon his return, the fire had spread to his bedding, he later told police. The man fled the scene because he had arrest warrants.
The next day, police arrested Joshua Lamb, then 38, on arson charges. He was sentenced to five years of community control after pleading guilty to arson.
Renaissance Pointe
Called "a transformational" project that's expected to attract about 400,000 visitors a year to the city, Renaissance Pointe is planned on 50 acres at Ohio 122 and Union Road.
The project will include a 3,000-seat, multi-purpose Event Center, Class A retail and office, hotels, restaurants and a variety of residential products, according to developer Todd Duplain from Woodard Development, a Dayton-based commercial real estate firm.
City Council unanimously approved legislation this month to allow Lolli to enter into a final development agreement with Woodard and the Warren County Port Authority concerning the planned $200 million project.
Assistant City Manager Nathan Cahall said the timeline of Renaissance Pointe calls for bids on infrastructure improvements to be awarded in mid-February with a ground-breaking ceremony set for early March. The infrastructure improvements could be complete in 2025, he said.
The project would attract full-service, high-end hotels, premium and fast-food restaurants, townhomes that would sell in the $325,000 to $425,000 range and a medical complex that could complement the two East End hospitals, Atrium Medical Center and Kettering Health Middletown, according to Duplain.
Lolli has called the development "a destination location" that will draw visitors seeking entertainment, dining and shopping options off Interstate 75.
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RENAISSANCE POINTE PROJECT TIMELINE
NOVEMBER 2022: City Council unanimously approves City Manager Paul Lolli cancelling the city's purchase agreement with George Ragheb, the California-based owner of the Towne Mall Galleria. Before that, council unanimously approved the city spending $1 million of the total $16 million price tag to purchase the Towne Mall, located just off I-75 near the Ohio 122 exit.
Dec. 6, 2022: City Council votes to purchase 29 acres of land for $6.2 million at the southeast corner of Union Road and Ohio 122 and adjacent to property the city already owns.
March 21, 2023: City Council hears first reading of legislation that will change the zoning classification for three parcels of land from business center to planned development district. The Planning Commission has recommended the request be approved.
April 4, 2023: City Council hears second reading of legislation that will change the zoning classification for three parcels of land from business center to planned development district.
July 18, 2023: Todd Duplain from Woodard Development and Martin Russell, executive director of the Warren County Port Authority, update City Council on the project. They say the 3,000-seat Event Center and other businesses could be open by the summer of 2025.
OCT. 3, 2023: City Council approves resolution to create the Renaissance Arena District New Community Authority (NCA) to aid in the financing of the planned multi-use development on 50.86 acres at Ohio 122 and Union Road in the city's East End.
Nov. 21, 2023: City Council approves legislation that authorizes the finance director to issue bond anticipation notes (BANs) in an amount no to exceed $14.8 million to finance the cost of constructing public improvements related to the Renaissance Pointe development project.
DEC. 19, 2023: City Council unanimously approves legislation to allow City Manager Paul Lolli to enter into a final development agreement with Woodard Development, LLC and the Warren County Port Authority.
FIRE STATIONS TIMELINE, COSTS
New fire headquarters replacing the 1.38-acre site on Roosevelt Boulevard: A 3.6-acre site at Yankee Road and Cherry Street owned by the city as acquired from the Middletown City Schools and former site of Garfield school. Size: 24,300 square feet. Total cost: $10.5 million. Expected completion: November 2024.
Station No. 81 replacing 0.28-acre site on Clinton Street: A 2.85-acre site at Henry Avenue and Charles Street owned by the city as acquired from the Middletown City Schools and former site of the Jefferson school. Size: 10,200 square feet. Cost: $5 million. Construction begins in August 2024, expected completion by June 2025.
Station No. 85 replacing 0.86-acre site at Central Avenue and Breiel Boulevard: A 2-acre parcel at Sophie Avenue and Stolz Drive encompassing the undeveloped, southern portion of Dowling Park owned by the city. Size: 10,200 square feet. Cost: $5 million. Construction begins in August 2024, expected completion by June 2025.
Station No. 82 replacing 0.88-acre site on Dixie Highway: A 2.7-acre site at Ohio 122 and Atrium Boulevard acquired from Premier Health/Atrium Medical Center. Size: 11,800 square feet. Cost: $5.9 million. Expected completion by November 2024.
CENTRAL CONNECTIONS TIMELINE
Nov. 6, 2012: Middletown taxpayers pass a five-year, 1-mill levy to provide or maintain senior services at the Middletown Area Senior Center.
Aug. 16, 2015: The name of the Middletown Area Senior Center is changed to Central Connections.
May 2, 2017: Middletown taxpayers renew a five-year, 1-mill levy to provide or maintain senior services at the center.
November 2021: Diane Rodgers is hired as executive director. She says she moved from Reno, Nev., where she oversaw a senior center and worked with the homeless population, to be closer to her daughter who lives in New York.
July 29, 2022: Rodgers signs for a mortgage loan through First Financial Bank for $450,000, then does a loan modification that increases the amount to $650,000, according to the Butler County Recorder's Office. Her signature and job title are listed on the loan that matures on July 29, 2024.
Nov. 1, 2022: Ribbon-cutting is held to celebrate the $1.5 million in renovations of Central Connections, 3907 Central Ave.
Dec. 31, 2022: Senior citizens center levy expires after generating $7 million over 10 years.
May 5, 2023: D.E.R. Development Co. files a lien against Central Connections, saying the company is owed $266,594.52, plus allowable interest.
May 31, 2023: Rodgers files vandalism report at Central Connections. Middletown police say that leads to the investigation of center's finances.
July 24, 2023: The Council on Aging terminates its three-year contract with Central Connections. Fifty employees are laid off.
July 25, 2023: Nearly 75 senior citizens and former and current employees of Central Connections attend a meeting in the café with Rick Fishbaugh, board president, and Rodgers.
July 27, 2023: Rodgers is terminated as executive director of Central Connections and escorted out of the building by Middletown police.
Aug. 3, 2023: During a special City Council meeting and after an executive session, City Manager Paul Lolli announces council has agreed to move forward with the possible purchase of the Central Connections building and land and for an unknown amount that will come out of the city's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund.
Aug. 5, 2023: In an email to the Journal-News, attorney Tyrone Borger, who is representing Rodgers, writes that he and his client have been "informed that there is an ongoing investigation. As such, while my client would like to comment and clear up several misconceptions. She is taking my advice and refusing to comment on any allegations at this time."
Aug. 9, 2023: Middletown Police Chief David Birk says his department is working with the Ohio attorney general's Bureau of Criminal Investigation into the criminal investigation into the finances of Central Connections.
Aug. 11, 2023: Central Connections announces more layoff and the closing of the cafe and bar. The hours are reduced to 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Aug. 15, 2023: City Council votes unanimously to allow City Manager Paul Lolli to enter into a lease agreement with Central Connections. The lease is $50 per month. By the end of 2023, the city has the right to purchase the building and property for $1.8 million.
Aug. 21, 2023: Vincent "Scott" Smith, husband of the former executive director, arrested and charged with seven counts of passing bad checks, all felonies.
Aug. 23, 2023: Smith appears in Middletown Municipal Court for his arraignment. Judge James Sherron sets Smith's bond at $5,000.
Sept. 6, 2023: A Middletown detective testifies Smith's signature on the seven bounced checks doesn't match his signature on a court document. The charges against Smith are bound over to a Butler County grand jury by Middletown Municipal Court Judge James Sherron.
Sept. 19, 2023: Middletown City Council authorizes city manager to enter into an agreement to purchase Central Connections property for $1.8 million, using ARPA funds.
Oct. 4, 2023: A Butler County grand jury declines to indict Smith ON passing bad check charges.
Oct. 12, 2023: City of Middletown closes on the purchase of Central Connections.
October-December: City hosts discussions with business leaders regarding the future of Central Connections.
