Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told the newspaper last June that he expects the state to build the hospital in the Dayton area in the coming years. No proposed location for the site has been publicly announced.
“I posted it because I want people to know I’m transparent,” Pope said in an interview Friday. He said he has distributed the letter “everywhere,” to state representatives and public stakeholders, among others.
Pope said he is concerned about what he fears are plans to build on the land that once was home to long-demolished Hara Arena.
He said Mike Heitz — a Lexington Ky.-based developer who bought the arena and its property in 2018 — told him that state representatives have visited the site in the past two weeks.
Asked if he has contacted the governor’s office, Pope said: “We’ve had no response from them.” He said representatives of DeWine have not returned calls and emails from Trotwood leaders on the subject.
“There’s just no communication at all,” Pope said, adding: “I just want to know why this is so secretive.”
A message seeking comment was left with Heitz on Friday.
The letter from Pope is dated Feb. 12 this year, but was posted on the city’s Facebook page Friday. It was written to property owner and developer Heitz, who owns the 124-acre property that once was home to the arena.
“As concerned stakeholders, I must make you aware that the city of Trotwood is vehemently opposed to this type of use of this property,” Pope wrote to Heitz. “Furthermore, we have been in touch with Mr. Jeff Hoagland and Dave Burrows at the Dayton Development Coalition and discussed Trotwood’s position and vested interest in the area surrounding the Hara Arena site.”
Hoagland is president and chief executive of the coalition. Burrows is a executive vice president of engagement for the coalition. Messages seeking reaction were sent to a spokeswoman for the coalition, as well as spokespeople for DeWine’s office.
“The former Hara Arena property offers a unique opportunity for redevelopment,” the coalition said Friday in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News. “We encourage the city of Trotwood, Harrison Twp., and the developer to work together to identify the best use for the site through their ongoing strategic planning efforts.”
In recent weeks, Trotwood and Harrison Twp. have partnered with the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission to complete a market study weighing redevelopment options for several sites along the Turner Road corridor, a 775-acre area that includes portions of Trotwood and the township.
The arena was situated on nearly 190 of those acres.
Sixty of those acres fall in Harrison Twp., and the remaining 129 in Trotwood, market study documents showed.
Hara Arena sat empty for years before it was damaged by the Memorial Day tornadoes in 2019. The arena once offered 5,500 seats and the property included four exhibition halls, a conference center, pub and golf course.
Dayton had an inpatient psychiatric hospital called Twin Valley that closed nearly 17 years ago. It was known for years as the Dayton State Hospital.
“The closure of Twin Valley Behavioral Health in 2008 had devastating effects on the patients and families served by that facility,” Sarah Hackenbracht, president and CEO of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, told this newspaper last year.
About the Author
