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Moves will result in greater options for Ohio residents with developmental disabilities

The Herald-Dispatch - 6/12/2018

COAL GROVE, Ohio - Open Door School in Ironton will move to the Tri-State Industries building in Coal Grove at the start of the 2019 school year, while adult services for the developmentally disabled in Lawrence County will move to two locations in the coming year.

The Lawrence CountyBoard of Developmental Disabilities runs several programs for about 500 county residents with developmental disabilities, including programs for adults in Coal Grove and 6- to 21-year-olds at the Open Door School on Lorain Street.

"We are looking at several locations right now throughout the county for adult day services and habilitation services, said Tim Nunnery, director of communications and resource development at the board of developmental disabilities.

Both the programs for adults and for students plan to be in new locations by the end of 2020, according to a news release.

Person Centered Services, which provides services for adults, will stop leasing the Tri-State Industries building in Coal Grove effective Jan. 1, 2019. The agency plans to locate in two sites in the eastern and western areas of the county, Nunnery said.

The move will allow the agency to offer more options and activities for adults, said Julie Monroe, superintendent of the board of developmental disabilities.

Person Centered Services has performed a tremendous task of providing adult day services to people with developmental disabilities, Monroe said.

"This move really helps them in expanding their services throughout the county to areas that are more centrally located to where people reside," she said.

The building in Coal Grove, which is owned by the board, will undergo nine months of renovations before the students move in, Nunnery said.

It has a one-floor plan to the Open Door School property on Lorain Street which has three floors, according to Monroe.

The board has heard comments for years that the Open Door School needs a new facility "and we've known that our adult services need to be more accessible for people," Monroe said. "This is our big chance to make these changes and improve our programs to reach full potential."

Meanwhile, the board has received a three-year accreditation from the state of Ohio, according to a news release.

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