By Kyle Thompson

At 10:30 a.m. Monday, a banner recognizing the former CG&E building as the new Cincinnati State Middletown campus was raised. The first student to enroll at Cincinnati State's first branch campus, Madison High School senior Madon Conley, helped raise its first sign. As part of a deal that Higher Education Partners and Cincinnati State signed earlier this month, the community college's will make its first branch campus in downtown Middletown. The city signed off on its agreement to sell the old CG&E building (1 N. Main St.) for $202,000 and donate the former senior center for the Cincinnati State Middletown campus.

Monday's event signified that this community college is open for business here in Middletown. Cincinnati State's president, Dr. O'dell Owens explained the significance of Monday's event, which took place in the lobby of the future branch campus,

“We’re here today because it started out with one man who had a dream, Perry Thatcher. We’re here today because once city council and the city manager and its mayor were brave enough to take a chance, brave enough to spend tax payers’ money because they felt they could help create a future for Middletown. The power of one little community college to raise its hand to say it wants to be a part of Middletown and its redevelopment. And one very unusual, and we’re very fortunate to find this company, the Higher Education Partners out of Boston who said, ‘We would like to invest in education.’ ”

The Middletown campus is scheduled to finish construction by mid-July and classes are expected to begin six weeks later.