I hope your summer is off to a great start! I want to share a brief update about our upcoming move to the former Mercy Health building in Bond Hill. We’re excited about the new space, which will provide a better experience for the people we support and their families, align well with how employees complete their daily work, and allow us to use our financial resources wisely.
In 2023 and 2024, we embarked on a process to assess our physical space. Our goal was to ensure our workspaces align with how we work so we can best meet the needs of the people we support. In early 2024, we decided to jointly purchase the former Mercy Health office in Bond Hill. HCDDS will be there alongside several other county agencies, and the building will become “Hamilton County Central.”
We’ve been working with the county administration throughout this process to partner on the purchase of the property and occupy a dedicated floor in the building. We’ll consolidate all teams currently located at Support Center and Kingsley, as well as the EI staff assigned to school locations, into this single, central location. This new, modern building aligns well with the priorities we identified during our analysis of office space, including greatly enhanced accessibility, close proximity to partner organizations, and a welcoming space for people served, families, providers and other partners.
At its meeting in June, our Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the county officially authorizing us to enter into the purchase. The MOU outlines specific agreements between HCDDS and the county related to the purchase and occupancy of the building. We’re also working with the county and their real estate consultant to sell Kingsley and Support Center.
To prepare for the move, HCDDS employees are serving on committees with the other county agencies to work through details of sharing the space with our partners and we’re continuing our work with a consultant to shape the new space to meet our organizational needs. Together with the consultant and an architecture firm, we’re finalizing plans and designs so construction of our floor can begin this summer.
Our tentative timeline for move-in is the first half of next year. The county is coordinating the construction and phased move-in process for the other county agencies in the building.
We’re excited to partner with the county on this move. The new location will allow us to better meet the needs of people we serve, as well as our employees. In addition to HCDDS, the county will also relocate the offices of Job and Family Services, Environmental Services, Public Health, Office of Addiction Response, and the Veterans Service Commission.
I look forward to sharing more details with you as we continue the relocation process this year.
In Partnership,
Leia Snyder
