By Ashley McCarty

Bids closed on Feb. 24 for the renovations at the Adams County Workforce Development and Training Center.
Bids opened at 10 a.m. and closed the same day.
The building for the Adams County Workforce Development and Training Center, located on E. Walnut Street, was formerly Prather’s IGA. The small grocery store closed on March 27, 2019 and was purchased shortly thereafter by The Adams County Board of County Commissioners.
In December of 2019, The Adams County Economic and Community Development Office and Adams County Board of Commissioners received a $2.3 million grant by the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) for the creation of a workforce development and training center in Adams County.
The funds comprised of $1.8 million from GRIT (Growing Rural Independence Together through Jobs) through the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, and an additional $500,000 through an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant, which was submitted to the OVRDC (Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission) and passed on to ARC Federal.
The grant funds the renovation of the 15,100 square foot building and would and pay for the purchase of machinery and equipment needed to train adults in four in-demand skilled trades, to start; Welding, Licensed Practical Nursing (LPNs), Certified Nursing Assistant, and Computer Numeric Control (milling, tooling, lathing, blueprint reading, and drafting).
The Adams County Economic and Community Development Office wrote and secured all of the funds for this project. The Adams County Economic and Community Development Office oversees all funds and administration, and is doing all of the program management, construction oversight and education partnership work required.
Partnered in creating the Adams County Workforce Development and Training Center include the Adams County Board of Commissioners, the Adams Economic and Community Development Office. Multiple community agencies and organizations that plan to partner with the training center once it has opened include the Recovery Program for Adams County Courts, Adams County Jobs and Family Services, Regional Career Technical Center’s Workforce Development Center and the Adams and Brown County Ohio Means Jobs offices.
The Counseling Center, Inc. and Family Recovery Services had also expressed interest in the opportunities that the training center would provide their clients, particularly those in recovery from drug addictions.
In June 2020, the project’s conception board — which showcases its anticipated interior and exterior — was completed by Sydney Murray, an Interior Design Intern at TSHD Architects in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Demolition was performed and completed to the inside of the building in October of 2020.
On Feb. 24, seven bids were received by The Adams County Economic and Community Development Office. On March 1, a bid recommendation letter was sent to the Adams County Economic and Community Development Office by David Stone, AIA, Chief Administrative Officer at TSHD Architects.
“As you can see, the low bid received was from WAI Construction, for $1,399,500. This bid is less than our advertised estimate for the project of $1,500,000. We have worked with this contractor previously, and have found their work to be satisfactory. We, therefore, recommend that you award a contract to WAI Construction for $1,399,500,” said Stone.
The Adams County Board of Commissioners accepted the bid from WAI Construction based on this recommendation.
The project is projected to be completed by end of 2021, with classes starting as soon as 2022.
Once completed, The Adams County Workforce Development and Training Center will serve Adams, Brown, Pike, and Scioto Counties, with equipment allowing a capacity for up to 40 full-time certification students (in CNC, Welding, and LPN courses) and 100 short-term students (in Nursing Assistant courses).