PROPOSED SITE — The grassy area between Hills Elementary School and Wilson Avenue is the proposed location for a new public health and workforce development center, which would be constructed using $6.5 million from the Appalachian Community Innovation Centers Program. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — Gov. Mike DeWine’s office announced June 12 that the Indian Creek Local School District will receive $6.5 million to construct a new center aimed at improving public health, education and workforce development.

Indian Creek was among 11 school districts that were awarded a total of more than $88 million from the Appalachian Community Innovation Centers Program, created by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly. The program’s goal is “to create full-service centers for public education, community health services and career development in Appalachia Ohio,” according to a release.

“This is part of our continued commitment to Ohio’s traditionally underserved Appalachian communities,” DeWine said. “No matter where you live in Ohio, everyone deserves access to high-quality education and health care resources, and these new centers will play an important role in the transformational change we’re beginning to see in this region.”

Funding will cover construction expenses for brand-new, school-based centers in Jefferson, Mahoning, Noble and Brown counties. Existing school district sites in Belmont, Carroll, Lawrence, Gallia, Perry, Trumbull and Clermont counties will be renovated or expanded.

Services and programming at each center will include in-demand job training; Ohio Means Jobs support; classrooms and computer labs; walk-in health and mental health clinics; on-site dental services and wellness, physical health and training space. Centers will be open “to any Ohioan who needs assistance, including those living outside the school districts receiving the awards,” the release states.

At nearly 15,000 square feet, Indian Creek’s proposed center would be located on the Hills Elementary School campus, separate from the physical school but located in the grassy area between the school and Wilson Avenue.

According to a summary from the OFCC, Indian Creek was awarded $6,515,272 for construction of the new center which will include walk-in health and mental health clinics and day treatment programs, new space for an alternative school, Ohio Means Jobs services and life-skills training.

Indian Creek Superintendent T.C. Chappelear said the school district submitted its application in March with the goal of providing a combined access point to public education, community health services and workforce development.

A number of community partners were brought on board to make these various access points possible. One such partner is the Jefferson County Educational Service Center, which operates the Jefferson County Alternative School located at 256 John Scott Highway, Steubenville.

Chappelear said the new center would provide a permanent home for the K-12 alternative school, which “does a great job educating kids who haven’t been successful in a typical setting throughout the county.”

He added that the center would be specially suited to the alternative school’s needs — a departure from its history of location hopping and subsequent molding to what the physical location can offer.

Included in that partnership will be the JCESC’s Quest for Success, which provides life skills and extracurricular training.

Another partner is Trinity Health System, which would provide an urgent care-style walk-in clinic that’s open to the community at large. Additionally, CHANGE Inc. is partnering to operate a mental health outpatient clinic in the center, with the same openness to the general community.

Chappelear said Indian Creek’s application considered results from a 2022 community health needs assessment from Trinity and the Jefferson County General Health District in identifying what public and mental health needs to address. With that, the school district’s application is “really hitting the identified needs in Jefferson Coutny,” Chappelear said, noting the absence of health facilities in Mingo Junction.

Finally, Chappelear noted that Jefferson County’s unemployment rate hovers among some of the highest in Ohio.

To address that, Indian Creek partnered with the Jefferson County Community Action Council, which is working through a contract with Jefferson County Job and Family Services, to provide workforce programs to be run in the center. The facility would act as an access point for the state career counseling office Ohio Means Jobs and offer services like job application training and resume building help.

Grant funding is conditional, meaning that funding may be withdrawn if certain conditions are not met or if Indian Creek decides not to proceed with the project, Chappelear said. The project has “a lot of moving parts, and there are some financial questions that will have to be answered (before proceeding),” he said.

“We still have some work to do in regards to styling this and making sure that, if we do move forward, that it’s going to be the right move for the community and for the school district financially.”

According to grant requirements, the center must be complete by Dec. 31, 2026.

Still, Chappelear said the application was a great one and “eye-opening” for him as to the needs of low-income individuals in the county.

“I think the whole application really targets underserved populations, whether they be students or adults in our community, and helps to provide the support they need to move forward and live a better, healthier life. … It’s a great opportunity, and I do hope we’re going to be able to move forward with it. I think we’re going to be able to provide a lot of good for our community.”

According to the governor’s office release, the Appalachian Community Innovation Centers Program “aligns with DeWine’s Appalachian Community Grant Program, which recently awarded $500 million to support downtown and riverfront revitalization, community health and economic development in Ohio’s 32 Appalachian counties.” Of all projects submitted from Jefferson County, one received $4.572 million in funding — the Village of Adena streetscape.