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Mental health board OKs sale of property
The property must be used for 20 years for community health or social welfare.
YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Mental Health Board has approved the sale of its property at 880 Indianola Ave. to the Potential Development Program for use as a school for autistic children.
Potential, whose nonpublic chartered school is at 209 W. Woodland Ave., expects to start the school year in September in its new facility, said Potential executive director, Paul Garchar.
The sale of the 17,205-square-foot building and 2.43 acres to Potential for $100,000 is contingent upon completion of a title search and receiving the purchase price, said Ronald A. Marian, mental health board director.
Other conditions of the sale include that the property be transferred in “as is” condition and that it be used exclusively, for 20 years, for community health or social welfare programs by a not-for-profit entity. If used otherwise, the property would revert back to the mental health board, said Atty. Charles Kay, a member of the board.
Kay said the property’s appraised value is $266,000; and that Potential plans to spend about $200,000 renovating the facility.
The building at 880 Indianola, part of the former Woodside Hospital, has been used for many purposes over the years, including by the Eastern Mental Health Center until it merged with Parkview Counseling Center to become Turning Point, said Marian, who sees the transaction as good for the mental health board, the community, and Potential Development.
Garchar said the school for autistic children in grades kindergarten through eight has grown more quickly than anticipated. Since starting with four students in 2001, it now has 30 students and a waiting list of about 10.
He said the new site will immediately double Potential’s capacity to about 12,000 square feet and give it the ability to expand to about 17,000 square feet when necessary.
Garchar said Potential plans to spend a little over $200,000 preparing the new site for a September opening, including interior renovation and an outside playground area.
“I want to publicly thank the mental health board for its support of our program and of children with mental illness,” Garchar said.
The Potential Development Program began in 1953, under the leadership of Christine Kline, as the United Cerebral Palsy Association. It reincorporated and took its name in 1976 and focused on serving children with developmental delays and with challenging behaviors. In the early 1990s, Potential Development began specializing in programs for children with autism.
alcorn@vindy.com