XENIA — Greene County Career Center has announced the upcoming auction of its Agricultural Research Center in Xenia Township.
The 50-acre center features a 15,400-square-foot indoor riding arena, 28 horse stalls, laboratory space, classrooms and office space. The indoor arena is named for former owner Andrea Chancey.
Sheridans LLC will facilitate the auction of the property, located at 551 Brush Row Road, at 1 p.m. June 3. The auction will be held in-person on the property and also virtually via an online link at www.sheridanteam.com.
The center was purchased by the career center board of education in 2011 and has housed the school’s veterinary science and equine science career-technical programs for high school juniors and seniors. Veterinary science was moved to Greene County Career Center’s new main campus in Xenia and equine science is being eliminated as a program offering.
“While the agricultural research center served as a wonderful facility for our veterinary and equine students, we feel it is in the best interest of the district and the taxpayers to move in some new directions,” Greene County Career Center Superintendent David Deskins said. “As we focus more and more on workforce data, we felt the equine program was not as essential as some other programming due to fewer local jobs in that industry. Our veterinary program has flourished and will continue in their tremendous new lab and clinic at our new campus.”
Matt Sheridan, auction manager for Sheridans, described the ARC as a unique opportunity.
“The construction and layout of the facility are outstanding, and everything has been maintained so well,” he said. “This is a different type of property than we typically see in northern Greene County but one that we believe will draw interest from across Ohio and the midwest. We have partnered with the career center dating back to the 1980s during which we have sold all types of items including modular homes and other items actually built by students.”
Many infrastructure improvements were made by the school district since the 2011 purchase. City water is provided for human use, classrooms have been added, a fire suppression system was installed, and a well exists to provide water for the animals. Classrooms and offices are air conditioned and heated and the hallways offer radiant heat. Propane heaters are located in the indoor riding arena. The main building is also wired for WIFI connectivity.
Following the auction, the board of education will review the results on June 9 and could vote to approve the final sale price. Closing would occur 45 days later.
“We are sad to be selling this beautiful facility because it is such an important part of the school’s history,” board president Angela Reagan said. “But our focus is on providing practical career opportunities for our students that meet our local job market needs. Whoever buys the property is going to be blessed with incredible options for utilization.”
Greene County Career Center serves high school students from all seven school districts in Greene County in addition to students engaged in virtual and home-schooled learning. After moving to the new 270,000-square-foot facility on Innovation Drive south of Xenia last July, enrollment has increased dramatically. Twenty-two programs will be offered for the 2021-22 school year. Aviation maintenance, cybersecurity and advanced engineering systems were added this school year. The aviation program is housed in a new hangar at the Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport. New for next year are robotics and automation and drone/UAS technology.
Sheridans managed the auction of the school’s old campus on West Enon Road. That property sold for $1.6 million to investors looking to offer training opportunities for adults in the construction trades. The sale is expected to close soon.