Four county agencies came together today to break ground on a $35.8-million building that will provide a one-stop destination for a variety of social services in Delaware County.
The new 70,000-square-foot facility, currently dubbed the Shared Services Building, will house the Delaware County Job & Family Services Department, the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health & Recovery Services Board, and the Delaware County Veterans’ Services Office. It is located at 2104 State Route 521 in Delaware, just northeast of and adjacent to the County’s Byxbe Campus. Completion of construction is slated for late 2027. Approximately 225 employees will work in the building. The project is employing three Central Ohio firms: architectural firm MSA Design, The Pizzuti Companies as owner’s rep, and construction firm Gilbane Building Company.
“Many of the individuals served by one of these agencies also receive services from another,” Delaware County Commissioner Jeff Benton in his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Bringing all of these services under one roof will reduce travel times and complexities for those residents while also allowing for closer working relationships between these agencies.”
DCBDD Superintendent Kristine Hodge recounted how the concept first came into existence in 2017 when the DCBDD created a Building Utilization Committee to analyze its future needs for space.
“Soon thereafter I joined Commissioner Merrell, (board member) Howard Heffelfinger and JFS Director Bob Anderson on a road trip to [Seneca County] to see how they implemented a social services campus…Our visit prompted many conversations and meetings over several years.”
She added, “And here we are, nine years later, witnessing that dream becoming a reality.”