CHAMPION — Township trustees have sent a letter to Mike Wilson, executive director of SCOPE, saying they are interested in offering senior activities and programs to township residents.

Trustees at their meeting last week said they want to work with SCOPE to provide programs to seniors and others at the new township administration building. Wilson spoke previously to Champion trustees, as well as trustees in Bristol and Brookfield, to see if they wanted to have senior centers or provide space to offer programs for senior citizens.

The exact programs to be offered at the Champion town hall will be determined later.

Fiscal Officer Laurie Jo Miller said SCOPE officials would come to the township building and set up the programs and activities.

Wilson said a survey of Champion residents about what activities and programs they would be interested in was taken previously. Some of the activities offered at other SCOPE centers include line dancing, bingo, chair yoga, cornhole, pickleball, lunches and exercise programs.

In other business, trustees decided that a sled hill on 66-acre township property south of the Champion school complex and north of the township cemetery will not be feasible.

Trustees have been working with Julie Green of the Trumbull County Planning Commission on seeking grants for parks in the township.

Miller said putting in a sled hill would be very costly.

Trustees are looking at other options, such as playground equipment, for the property and are waiting to see what grant funding the township may receive.

Trustees have said the playground could be at the former Champion Central Elementary site off state Route 45.

Green said there are possible Ohio NatureWorks grant opportunities for which the township may be eligible. She said Trumbull County has $49,000 in NatureWorks grant money, which makes it competitive for different communities. She said if the township does secure funds, there would be a 25% match needed.

NatureWorks projects are funded through the Ohio Parks and Natural Resources bond issue and provide up to 75% reimbursement assistance for local government subdivisions. Miller said previously that $52,000 was collected over the years by a park committee that could be used for a matching grant.

MERCY HEALTH

Trustee Chairman Doug Emerine said Mercy Health officials have requested information from the township zoning department on property in Champion.

“We are not 100% sure if they are going to do anything. They have not indicated to us what they would do. At this time, I can’t give any information, yes or no, if they will come here. There has been some communication. It may be addressed by the county commissioners as information was also requested at the county level,” Emerine said.

He said he hopes to have some news from Mercy in the near future.

Previous plans by the hospital system were to relocate St. Joseph Warren Hospital to a 62.8-acre site next to the Kent State University at Trumbull campus. The plans were announced in May of 2022, but the hospital system put those plans on hold six months later.

It’s because of “national economic volatility, inflationary pressure and financial challenges health care systems nationwide are experiencing,” according to a statement by Mercy Health at the time.

The current Eastland Avenue facility was to be demolished, though outpatient services still would have been offered at the adjacent medical office building. The move was intended to allow the hospital to better serve growing health care needs in the region.

Mercy had expected to break ground on the new building early in 2023. The anticipated 400,000-square-foot facility would have been the first new hospital built in the area since Mercy Health constructed St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital in 2007. It was planned to have 241 beds and to provide full inpatient and outpatient services, with room to grow.

Also at their meeting, trustees thanked different organizations for their donations toward painting the different rooms at the township building.

Donations were received from Masterpiece Painting Company at $5,000, Champion Rotary Club at $4,000 and RD Banks and Chevy All Stars at $10,000.