Bus service to the new location begins in January.
The next day, the commissioners ratified the 20-year lease with Miami University for 17,500-square feet of space on the first floor of what’s being referred to as the “AM Hub.” They also agreed to pay $858,517 up front for the first 5 years to pay for maintenance, utilities and other services.
“This is an estimate for the 5 years, this will be trued up at the end of the five years but we only pay what is required of our portion of the property,” Boyko said.
Commissioner Cindy Carpenter has long lamented the fact the OMJ center was off the beaten path in Fairfield, she told the Journal-News “it’s exciting that it’s finally there.”
“It’s at a location where we need it to be and hopefully individuals who walk into OhioMeansJobs will also be able to take a look around and consider going back to school and learning new skills, and taking a look at higher paying professions and how to move themselves up in the world,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity and a really good fit.”
OMJ offers offer access to current job listings, resume preparation, referrals to training programs, career exploration and counseling, access to career events, and other related employment services.
Randi Thomas, vice president for Miami’s Advancing Strategy, Partnerships, Institutional Relations, & Economy program, said by co-locating OMJ with the AM Hub, “we think it’s going to be pollination going both ways, from OhioMeansJobs and also from the AM Hub with Butler Tech and Miam also sending people that way.”
Where the ARPA dollars have gone
The county isn’t just a tenant — the commissioners invested in this and several other education-centered projects with their American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act into law March 11, 2021 and it allocated $350 billion to help local governments with pains caused by the coronavirus pandemic. When the commissioners learned they had $74.4 million to spend, they invited other governments and agencies to pitch them ideas.
At the outset, Butler Tech pitched the commissioners advanced aviation and manufacturing centers — $12 million apiece — and the board awarded $7 million for the flight school in Middletown and $8 million for the manufacturing project. The commissioners also gave Miami $5 million for the College@Elm project in Oxford.
The initial advanced manufacturing proposal blossomed into a collaborative effort between the county, Butler Tech, Miami, the city of Hamilton and dozens of industry and other partners. The commissioners have contributed $14 million — $13 million in ARPA money and $1 million from the general fund — toward the project.
The goal of the AM Hub is to provide space for joint Butler Tech and Miami programming and for regional manufacturers to locate on site for research and to train the next manufacturing workforce.
Boyko recently gave the commissioners an update on how all of the ARPA projects are going and said everything is on track with the federal government’s requirements. She said she believes the commissioners’ achieved their goal.
“You have taken this gift, this one-time anomaly gift of $75 million and put it back into places that would really, really benefit long-term, long-standing sustainable change in Butler County.”
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