By Dave O"Brien
Record-Courier staff writer
HIRAM -- Through an agreement with local developers, Hiram College has agreed to sell 120 acres of property to Village Builders for the construction of a 55-and-older retirement community.
The property, most of which is in Hiram Township but a small part of which is in the village of Hiram east of S.R. 700, will become the future home of an independent living community with up to units, according to the college.
"The college and developers have been talking for some time, and we had the land down by the (college) physical plant. It seems like it"s well-situated for the development of a retirement village that we would try to market to our alumni and other people interested in living in a situation where they can take advantage of some offerings Hiram College will provide," college spokesman Steve Love said.
The college will not be directly involved in operating the planned retirement community, he said, and has just begun discussion about how it would allow residents to participate in college offerings such as possible reduced membership rates to the Hiram College Library and Les and Kathy Coleman Sports, Recreation and Fitness Center.
"The idea is to ... have people be as involved as they"d like to be with the college" once the marketability of the retirement community is determined.
Depending on need, an assisted living facility and some commercial development such as medical offices also may be constructed. In a statement Monday, Hiram College President Tom Chema expressed faith in developers Mike Mascek of Hiram and Ed Wurm of Aurora, partners in Village Builders.
"People speak highly of their previous projects," he said.
The deal must still be submitted to Hiram Village Council, which must approve the village annex of the land to be used in the development.
"In the long run it benefits the village, benefits the college and benefits the developers. There"s a good case to be made for the annexation in this case and we hope that will follow through," Love said. "And clearly give the village an expanded tax base as well."
The land also is near the future Henry C. Gelbke Fine Arts Center, paid for with a gift from the Gelbke family and other money donated to the college, Love said. That project, part of the "Initiative for the Arts" at the college, will be built in the former Harner industrial building near the existing Hiram College physical plant, extending the campus north and east.
"Most of that space has been under-utilized," Love said. "Once it is remodeled, the art department will move out of the Frohring Art Building ... ultimately the plan is for the theatre department to move out of Bates Hall and into the Frohring Art Building" where a small "black box" theatre will be built for events, shows and programs more conducive to Hiram"s small size.
Village Builders has contracted with Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio in Columbus to operate the facilities, the college said. That agency currently operates a retirement community in Columbus and assisted living and nursing facilities in Ashland.