“Premier Health and the University of Dayton have no additional information to share about the redevelopment of the fairgrounds at this time,” said Ben Sutherly, a Premier Health spokesman, said by email Monday.
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UD officials discussed vague plans for the property in December, at the time stating the purchase of the land reinforced the school’s commitment to GE Aviation and Emerson Climate Technologies. The two corporations on university property have major, visible presences on Stewart Street across from the fairgrounds.
And while UD officials in December ruled out building a new basketball arena on the property, UD President Eric Spina did not rule out a joint-venture with Miami Valley Hospital, such as a medical-educational facility for the university, which does not have a medical school.
Meanwhile, a major obstacle to the deal’s completion was overcome last week when Gov. John Kasich signed off Friday on a transfer of canal lands on the property.
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Originally, officials with the Montgomery County Agricultural Society anticipated the request to transfer the land could take weeks. The Dayton Daily News first reported about the issue Wednesday, and the matter was closed by Friday.
“We heard about this issue and received these documents for the very first time” Thursday morning, said Emmalee Kalmbach, a Kasich spokeswoman, “despite that, because we understand how important this is to the community, we turned this around in a day and have approved the request.”
Ohio Auditor Dave Yost and Secretary of State Jon Husted provided the signatures necessary to transfer the land on Wednesday, within hours of the DaytonDailyNews.com story. The “Canal Land” issue became a hurdle in the multi-million deal, as the state commission with authority over the former Miami-Erie Canal property no longer exists.
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“Dave Yost worked with us to make it a priority,” Husted, a UD alumnus and former state legislator, said by email. “I have worked on the fairgrounds issue since 1994, and I want to get it done so that UD and that area of Dayton can take another positive step forward.”
Husted is a likely candidate for Ohio governor in 2018, while Yost announced his run for attorney general in January. Husted, Yost and Kasich are Republicans.
The total deal is for $15 million with UD and Premier chipping in about $5.25 million each. The county will provide a $2 million credit on the purchase if the buyers agree to retain and rehab the historic roundhouse. The Dayton-Montgomery County Port Authority also has a $2.5 million state allocation to contribute to the project.
The Montgomery County Agricultural Society, which operates the county fair, is moving to Judge Arthur O. Fisher Park in Jefferson Twp. for the 2018 fair.
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Staff Writer Max Filby contributed reporting.
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