The former Hara Arena site north of Shiloh Springs and Wolf roads on Tuesday March 31, 2026. The site will be home to a new state Behavioral Health center in 2030. THOMAS GNAU/STAFF
Thomas Gnau
The new Ohio Behavioral Healthcare facility at the Shiloh Springs and Wolf roads is going to happen, Gov. Mike DeWine emphasized in a meeting with Dayton Daily News reporters this week.
Asked if the state was open to a different location for the center, DeWine said simply: “No. We own that. We’re building it. As soon as the ground is right, demolition will start.”
A visit to the site this week showed a construction fence around the property that once was home to Hara Arena, property that includes sections of Trotwood and Harrison Twp.
A construction trailer and some materials are on site, and while there are no signs of the former arena structure — which was largely damaged in the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes — it appears new construction has not yet started in earnest.
“Look, we’re not unmindful of people’s concerns,” DeWine said. “But we’ve done everything that we can do. We’ve taken officials and people who are concerned, to look at the new (state behavioral) facility in Columbus. We’ve also taken them to see the facility in Cincinnati.”
These state behavioral centers “employ a lot of people. They’ll be a boost to the economy. But they also significantly will provide help and assistance to people in need who are in the Miami Valley. We look at this as a Miami Valley hospital.”
Trotwood officials have expressed concerns about the project, and in October, Trotwood City Council passed a resolution opposing the plan, saying that a forensic facility at the former Hara site “does not align with our vision for economic revitalization, job creation and quality of life improvements.”
A message seeking comment was left with Trotwood Mayor Yvette Page.
But DeWine observed that the site has been vacant and in poor condition for years.
Gov. Mike DeWine talks during an interview in the Dayton Daily News office on Monday, March 30. BRAYNT BILLING / STAFF
Bryant Billing
“That site has been sitting there for a long time. If there was an economic (development), something that would be a great boost to the community, that would have happened by now. It’s time for it to go away and to put a facility there that would be a great asset.”
He added, “It’s a step we have to take.”
The value of the planned 285,000 square-foot facility has been put at $275 million, with 200 patient beds and 500 new jobs.
The construction project is slated for completion in the summer for 2030.