Starting Monday, the center will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with reduced staff, he wrote. The center was open from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Berry didn’t say how many of the center’s 35 employees were laid off, but he believes they will be eligible for unemployment.
Lori Dennon, the center’s former manager of food delivery services, told the Journal-News all but four employers were laid off during Friday’s meeting.
When employees asked the board about their payroll checks due on Tuesday, for work completed Aug. 1-11, they were told they would be paid sometime in September, Dennon said. Their mileage reimbursement checks also would be available next month, she said.
Berry said the Central Connections board of directors has been “gathering as much data as possible about the financials and the operation of the center” by talking to employees, suppliers, volunteers, and members of Central Connections.
The board also has been in discussions with the city of Middletown about stepping in and taking over the operation of the center. He said the city told the board it wants to lease the center with the intent of purchasing the center.
The goal, Berry said, is for the city to keep “mission critical operations” in place.
Diane Rodgers, executive director of the center, was terminated on July 27 by the board “for cause” and escorted out of the building by Middletown police, according to Rick Fishbaugh, board president.
After Rodgers was hired in 2021, she was the driving force behind a $1.5 million renovation of the facility that included a recreation center with full restaurant and bar, bridal suite and rooms to host weddings and a fitness room. Those improvements were needed to attract outside events to generate revenue to fund programming, Rodgers said.
Rodgers hasn’t been seen publicly since she was terminated. She has closed her Facebook page and co-workers said they don’t know where she is living. She has listed addresses in Hunter and Sabina.
Before Rodgers was hired, Fishbaugh said the board completed a background check on her, but only in Ohio, though she had never lived or worked in Ohio. He has admitted that was “a mistake.”
Rodgers is under investigation by the Middletown Division of Police and the Ohio Bureau Criminal Investigations regarding finances at the center, according to police Chief David Birk. No criminal charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing, he said.
While the investigation continues, Health Director Jackie Phillips is overseeing the daily operations of Central Connections, said City Manager Paul Lolli who added “We can’t let this go. We have to provide the services the seniors depend on.”
Central Connections: Timeline
Nov. 6, 2012: Middletown taxpayers pass a five-year, 1-mill levy to provide or maintain senior services at the Middletown Area Senior Center.
Aug. 16, 2015: The name of the Middletown Area Senior Center is changed to Central Connections.
May 2, 2017: Middletown taxpayers renew a five-year, 1-mill levy to provide or maintain senior services at the center.
November 2021: Diane Rodgers is hired as executive director. She says she moved from Reno, Nev., where she oversaw a senior center and worked with the homeless population, to be closer to her daughter who lives in New York.
July 29, 2022: Rodgers signs for a mortgage loan through First Financial Bank for $450,000, then does a loan modification that increases the amount to $650,000, according to the Butler County Recorder’s Office. Her signature and job title are listed on the loan that matures on July 29, 2024.
Nov. 1, 2022: Ribbon-cutting is held to celebrate the $1.5 million in renovations of Central Connections, 3907 Central Ave.
Dec. 31, 2022: Senior citizens center levy expires after generating $7 million over 10 years.
May 5, 2023: D.E.R. Development Co. files a lien against Central Connections, saying the company is owed $266,594.52, plus allowable interest.
May 31, 2023: Rodgers files vandalism report at Central Connections. Middletown police say that leads to the investigation of center’s finances.
July 24, 2023: The Council on Aging terminates its three-year contract with Central Connections. Fifty employees are laid off.
July 25, 2023: Nearly 75 senior citizens and former and current employees of Central Connections attend a meeting in the café with Rick Fishbaugh, board president, and Rodgers.
July 27, 2023: Rodgers is terminated as executive director of Central Connections and escorted out of the building by Middletown police.
Aug. 3, 2023: During a special City Council meeting and after an executive session, City Manager Paul Lolli announces council has agreed to move forward with the possible purchase of the Central Connections building and land and for an unknown amount that will come out of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund.
Aug. 5, 2023: In an email to the Journal-News, attorney Tyrone Borger, who is representing Rodgers, writes that he and his client have been “informed that there is an ongoing investigation. As such, while my client would like to comment and clear up several misconceptions. She is taking my advice and refusing to comment on any allegations at this time.”
Aug. 9, 2023: Middletown Police Chief David Birk says his department is working with the Ohio attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation into the criminal investigation into the finances of Central Connections.
Aug. 11, 2023: Central Connections announces more layoff and the closing of the cafe and bar. The hours are reduced to 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Complete coverage
Read previous coverage of the ongoing Central Connections financial issue at journal-news.com.
