Montgomery County Commissioners are taking the next steps to purchase land for a new job and training center.
It will be at Forest Park in Harrison Township. The county stated that the location is near a dmajor corridor and close to other county facilities, such as Children Services and the Stillwater Center on Main Street.
County leaders said the new Job and Training Center at Forest Park will create a direct connection between employment opportunities for residents while supporting operational efficiency and future growth.
Currently, the county leases space at the Job Center from St. Vincent de Paul. For the past decade, it spent more than $40 million-dollars on rent and renovations to the building.
Now the county will enter a 90-day due diligence period, which will include surveys, inspections and reviews of environmental and soil conditions.
Pending the results of these reviews, the county expects to close on the property this summer.
Montgomery County has a list online of temporary service locations that will be used during construction.
About the site
The county said in its announcement that Forest Park has long served as a gathering place for the community.
The site was once home to a zoo, which ran from 1928 to 1935. The site later became Frankie’s Forest Park which ran until the 1950s.
Later the Forest Park Plaza was built but later torn down in 2013.
The county announcement stated the new center "will bring renewed purpose to the historic site, transforming it into a modern, sustainable hub for essential public services."
