On July 23, 2021, Antioch College and the Yellow Springs Development Corporation (YSDC) announced a collaborative partnership to explore the reopening of the Wellness Center. Significant progress has been made since that time, but work continues to finalize the partnership agreement. The mutual goal of the College and YSDC is a sustainable model focused on the needs of the greater community now and into the future. Once finalized, the agreement will result in the College maintaining ownership of the Center and the YSDC managing operations.
“We, like all members, are anxious to return to the classes, pool, and workout routines that the Center has provided,” said Lisa Abel, president of the YSDC. “We ask for your patience as we continue the critical and necessary work to reopen the Wellness Center. We will continue to provide the community with updates by the end of each month, or sooner if there is important news to share.”
“The Wellness Center will continue to be an integral part of the campus and Antioch College activities, and will continue the original vision of bringing the wider community together,” said John Jacobs, a College alumnus and member of the Board of Trustees. “We are grateful for the support of loyal members and the community, and our new partnership with YSDC, to bring this shared vision forward in a way that will best serve everyone.”
Since the original announcement, the YSDC has formed three teams: a team to negotiate a formal agreement with Antioch College, a facility due diligence team, and a director search team.
“It is likely that there may be a few more teams formed in order to complete this reopening exploration process,” said Abel. “In preparation for the work of these teams, we first solicited input from some people familiar with the Wellness Center’s prior operations. This dialogue has served to both inform and somewhat decelerate the exploration process, as we seek additional information, generate cost estimates, and gain specific operational expertise to fully understand the start-up costs and ongoing financial responsibilities to run the Center.”
The YSDC is also currently working to establish a website and general email address. Job openings at the Wellness Center will be posted on the new website, published in the Yellow Springs News, and on social media.
About Antioch College
Antioch College is a groundbreaking and progressive undergraduate institution and community, dedicated to winning victories for humanity. Antioch students apply their classroom learning in the world at-large through its flagship Cooperative Education program where extended work placements with national and international organizations are integrated into the curriculum. A college of action, Antioch teaches and lives its commitments to educational innovation, to a collaborative and engaged campus community, to the application of knowledge, and to the pursuit of justice in all its forms. Antioch College is located in Yellow Springs, OH, in the heart of the Miami Valley. Learn more at antiochcollege.edu and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Yellow Springs Development Corporation
The Yellow Springs Development Corporation, incorporated in 2020, advances, encourages, and promotes business growth and investment in both the Village of Yellow Springs and Miami Township in Greene County, Ohio. Since its first meeting in January 2020, the YSDC has been involved in several economic development projects, including: coordination of state, county, and local incentives for the retention of Enviroflight’s R&D unit; administering $35,000 in potentially forgivable loans to 21 businesses in Miami Township and Yellow Springs during the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis; and working with Miami Township to transfer the old fire station to new ownership.
