Dayton Christian has $3.3M worth of plans for its Miami Twp. campus, and they include a major first

Dayton Christian Schools expects to break ground this summer on a revamped multi-million dollar plan that will include the school’s first gymnasium in its 55-year history.

The $4.6 million fund-raising plan announced last year has been scaled back, and the 43.5-acre Miami Twp. campus plan has been reconfigured as $3.3 million has been pledged to the project so far, according to school officials.

“Our facilities team worked hard to strategize on cost-saving options as it became clearer that this total may not be met,” according to Dayton Christian spokeswoman Julie Thompson.

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“We discovered we could save $1 million by moving the gym to (a) new location because it eliminates the need for an extensive parking lot renovation, as well as other infrastructural requirements that may have been requested by the township,” she said in an email. “The new location will leverage existing space in the cafetorium, and be located in an area that would enable future building projects.”

Township trustees last month approved a “major modification” to the plan for the school’s campus at the intersection of Washington Church and Spring Valley roads.

Originally, the school announced plans to build a 31,000-square-foot gym – to be called the Warrior Center - seating 600 at a site closer to the northern end of the property. The change will allow the new facility to be built toward the site’s southern end, just north of the baseball field, according to plans approved by the township.

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Aside from the gym, additional amenities include locker rooms, permanent bleachers, bathrooms and a Warrior Hall of Fame lobby and walkway, Thompson said.

“We do not need these features to open and enjoy the Warrior Center, but their future addition will certainly make the project a well-rounded space,” she said.

Once construction begins, the project is expected to take about a year to complete, according to Thompson.

The approved changes will also include altering the school’s parking plans, but access points from Spring Valley and Washington Church will remain the same, said Kyle Hinkelman, Miami Twp. community development deputy director.

“It’s just for the internal flow - not external,” Hinkelman said.

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The plan calls for “a reconfiguration of internal parking and circulation,” said Tony Beckert, production manager for Civil Engineers of Southwest Ohio.

“With this reconfiguration of the gym back into the site, we did have to modify parking,” he said.

Once all designs and other specifics are set, the school will need township approval of the final development plan, Hinkelman said.

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