MINGO JUNCTION — Plans for Indian Creek’s Innovation Center are gathering steam with a designer in place and a construction manager to be named this week.

The Indian Creek Board of Education is expected to approve Hammond Construction of Akron as construction manager for the estimated $6.5 million project that will get underway this spring on the grounds of the Indian Creek Middle School campus. The district has already solidified an agreement with Sol-Harris/Day Architecture of North Canton to serve as the design professional and Superintendent T.C. Chappelear said that process should begin soon.

“Hammond is on the agenda to be approved at Thursday’s board meeting,” Chappelear said. “We’re getting our design firm in place and hope to break ground in the spring of 2025. It will be located at the entrance of the Mingo campus.”

The district worked with both firms on the construction of the new Indian Creek High School and Cross Creek Elementary as well as on renovations at Hills Elementary. School board members approved a grant agreement in September to accept more than $6.5 million from the state’s Appalachian Community Innovation Centers Program for the new facility in Mingo. The program was established with the Ohio General Assembly and funded through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and a total of $88 million was disbursed across the state, while the local portion will help create full-service centers for public education, community health services and career development.

District leaders have partnered with Trinity Health System, the Jefferson County Educational Service Center, Jefferson County Department of Job and Family Services and the Jefferson County Community Action Council to provide services for students and residents. Plans are to develop a 14,000-square-foot, single-story building to include a walk-in health clinic for residents in partnership with Trinity Health System; a site for JCESC’s Quest Center to offer alternative educational placement for Jefferson and Harrison County students; and a workforce development program in conjunction with JCCAC.

The health facility would also accommodate a day treatment program for students in grades K-8 while the Quest Center, which is currently based in Steubenville, typically supports between 15 and 20 students per day. Meanwhile, the workforce development site would provide an Ohio Means Jobs access point for resume assistance and life skills training services for adults and dislocated workers.

Chappelear said the partnering organizations will provide insight to incorporate into the building.

“We’re already slated to work on accommodating our partners’ needs and ideas for the space and Sol-Harris/Day will work on designs for the different activities and develop plans,” he added.

As part of the program, new construction or renovation projects must combine the three components for K-12 education, health care for physical and mental health services and job-related programming and preference was given to expansion projects for applicants that currently house at least two of the three components, such as existing school-based health centers. Up to $85 million was available for construction and no local match is required; however, applicants must locally fund any project costs exceeding the grant amount.

Indian Creek was among a dozen applicants selected from a pool of 84 program submissions and Chappelear said the innovation center should be operational in the summer of 2026.