Downtown building to house RTC employment services
Larger space provides room for new training

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Finding job opportunities for Logan County’s mentally and physically challenged residents could get a lot easier when Ross Training Center’s Employment Services opens a new office in downtown Bellefontaine with a host of new training tools.

“We saw we would be able to provide a lot more training to provide people with disabilities ways to find jobs,” RTC Employment Services Director Tonya Reed said.

The non-profit agency, which deals with Logan County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities clients who live or work independently in the community, recently bought the 334 E. Columbus Ave. building that has housed a Kroger grocery and several pharmacies over the years.

And clients have been busy gutting the interior — removing old carpet, dividing walls and installing plumbing fixtures — in advance of a construction project to turn the 13,000-square-foot building into a modern job training center.

RTC Employment Services is currently located in an approximately 1,700-squarefoot office at Hyland Hills Plaza that is only able to offer the essential job placement services because of its size, Ms. Reed said.

But the new space eventually could include a classroom, a computer lab, cash register training, a gift shop to sell items made by people with disabilities and possibly a mock apartment unit to help teach independent living skills.

“I don’t know how quickly everything will be done, but we know this will greatly improve our ability to provide job-seeking skills and training activities,” Ms. Reed said, noting that the tentative deadline for moving into the new building is mid to late summer.

The renovation project is expected to cost a little more than $250,000, said Tim Clement, finance and administration director. The money comes from a state employment services contract and money collected through RTC’s job placement contracts.

“It’s a substantial investment into the building, but we are happy to get a building that is not being utilized and be able to do something with it that will benefit the community,” Mr. Clement said.

And clients, some of whom work at both RTC and in jobs in the community, said they like the idea of having a more centrally- located building that will offer new services.

“I think it will be great if they can put more stuff in it,” client Robert Horner of Bellefontaine said. “RTC has helped me a lot because of the programs and different activities. They also help with my finances. They’ve been doing good stuff for me for seven years.”

“I think it would be a better location for them. It would be closer for everybody in town,” said Bellefontaine resident Donna Tingler, who works at both RTC and Camp Willson. “I like RTC because it gives outside community employment. Everybody gets a job at RTC.”

The project is being designed by architect Karen Beasley. Thomas and Marker Construction Co., Lee’s Roofing and K.E. Strayer Plumbing and Heating will do the renovation, Ms. Reed said.

RTC Industries, which has contracts with local businesses for assembling or washing a variety of industrial components, still will be located at the main MRDD campus along west State Route 47.

“The big thing for us with the move is to provide more training opportunities,” Ms. Reed said.

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