Utica Shale Academy opens community center

SALINEVILLE -- The Utica Shale Academy has extended its reach even further into Salineville by forming a community center for students and residents alike.

Lodged in the former Destiny House Church on Church Street in the village, the facility includes a fitness center in the lower level and certified health workers for other support with more plans to form an event center in the near future. The site held a soft opening on Aug. 28 and will operate weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., excluding holidays. All of the services are free and walk-ins are accepted while appointments are optional.

Superintendent Bill Watson said work occurred throughout the summer to renovate the 113-year-old building and it will be a source of opportunities for patrons.

"We have ellipticals, a bike, weights and more in [the fitness center] and it will be open to the entire community. Everyone is welcome," Watson said. "We will also have certified health workers to help with soon-to-be parents and prenatal care to diapers, formula and baby seats."

CHW's Jocelyn Reed and Thomas Redman, who are employed through the Jefferson County Educational Service Center (JCESC) and provided by USA, will also assist with employment, mental health, transportation and food needs for clientele. All of the services are free and there are plans to incorporate access to more community resources. Watson explained that plans were to occupy the building as a support system for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) for students but officials saw an even larger need in the area.

"I think it was always the vision. We didn't have a workout area for the kids when we left Southern Local but knew it wouldn't be utilized a lot. We wanted the facility to have optimal utilization," he added. "We realized that everyone has more needs than just to learn. You need to feel good about yourself and get help. We want to assist people and help them feel good about themselves. This will provide people with a place to work out and get any help they need."

Officials had received a $5,000 Stronger Communities Grant through the Ohio Department of Education to acquire the gym equipment and compliment PBIS initiatives by offering supervised physical activity as an incentive. A similar program has been developed by USA instructor Mike Skrinjar during the 2019-20 school year but was discontinued when USA moved from Southern Local High School to its current location. USA officials said the PBIS goal would have many benefits for the at-risk students served at the academy, including improved mental health by reducing anxiety and depression and boosting self-confidence; using physical activity as a stand-in for addictive behaviors such as drug use; and unifying the community by offering physical activity and skill training services.

Work began this summer to renovate the vacant 1910 building, which sustained damage from a burst waterpipe long ago and received new carpeting, drywall, ceiling tiles and paintwork. Much of the work was completed by A.J. Hunt Construction of Columbiana with carpeting by Sherman Williams of Calcutta and Smitty's Floors of Steubenville. The two stone fireplaces on the upper level were updated using leftover materials from USA's beautification project outside the village police department while the original fireplace covers were refinished to maintain the integrity of the building. Future plans are to turn the church sanctuary into an event center for meetings and related gatherings, complete with tables, seating and a conference room with television screens and Watson also wants to provide free WiFi to the community. Costs for the upgrade and utilization of the building were also defrayed through a mixture of state wellness money and district general funds and Watson said the CHW's are also covered through grant funding, plus there are plans are to use some JCESC Best Practice Grant funds moving forward for work projects.

He has high hopes for the site, saying it will give the village added opportunities and resources.

"We believe it's an avenue that will help kids and the community get the help they need."

The community center is just one of the ways USA is expanding its footprint within the village. The Hutson Building located at 50 E. Main St. includes general classrooms and Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) programming through the Jefferson County Educational Service Center, while USA has also partnered with Youngstown State University to operate the USA Energy Center at the former Huntington Bank just a few doors down. That facility offers megatronics, hydraulics, pneumatics, AC/DC electric, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC's), diesel mechanics and horticulture for students and adults. In addition, a new welding lab was formed adjacent to the Hutson Building with plans to construct a new, two-story building on the property with classrooms, machinery and facilities for students working with heavy equipment operation and CNC plasma cutting. Most recently, community school leaders met with state officials to tour the former Williams Energy district office at 10 E. Main St. for potential use. The four-story, 27,000-square-foot building previously served as the Citizen's Bank national headquarters and had lodged Williams' district office from 2018 until it relocated to Canton in March. USA officials have designs on utilizing that site for classrooms, exterior welding labs and health-based programs while the lower level is being eyed as a hospitality hub for the Sustainable Opportunity Development (SOD) Center based in Salem.

USA is a dropout recovery-and-retention school focusing on career-tech education for at-risk students who have obtained more than 1,100 certifications since 2021. It utilizes blended learning and hands-on training to prepare the future workforce and currently has 190 students enrolled in grades 9-12 with plans to add seventh- and eighth-grade students at the Hutson Building in the not-so distant future.

For information about the community center, call 330-843-4315.