The Miami County commissioners will obtain an appraisal of the former Children’s Home property following a survey to determine its boundaries.
The survey was requested by the commissioners following the closing of the David L. Brown Youth Center in the former Children’s Home building in November. The more than 170 acres in Elizabeth Twp. east of Troy was donated to the county in 1877 by John K. and Jacob Knoop for use as a children’s home.
"We know what we are dealing with. We can get it appraised, and see what we want to do," Commissioner John “Bud” O’Brien said March 8 after commissioners met with John Brumbaugh of Brumbaugh Engineering and Surveying of West Milton. The commission agreed to pay up to $10,000 for the survey.
The survey confirmed the property covers 171.75 acres. It was divided into three parcels at the commission’s request.
“This land hadn’t been surveyed for a while,” Brumbaugh said. He noted work included checking into old property deeds.
The Children’s Home was closed in the 1970s, then reopened by the state as the Western Ohio Youth Center in the early 1980s.
After that facility closed in 1984, the 1932 building was renovated before reopening in 1987 as a county youth center. The name was changed in 1994 in memory of a former director.
The 15-bed residential David L. Brown facility was licensed by the state and operated by the county Juvenile Court for males ages 12-18.
In other business last week, the commissioners March 6 authorized the county’s participation in the U.S. Communities Purchasing Alliance to allow the county to make purchases from participating vendors without added competitive bidding.
The commission also approved a contract with Waibel Energy Systems Management to replace a chiller at the county Safety Building for $244,816 based on a
Trane contract (vendor) with the U.S. Communities cooperative. Waibel is the area Trane representative.
The chiller is one of the originals to the building construction in the early 1970s.
The commission also accepted a quote from Crowe Shredding of Richmond, Ind., to conduct paper shredding services at the county fairgrounds May 12 from 8 a.m. until noon.
The company will charge $650 for the service offered through the county Sanitary Engineering Department.
