Parts of $4.6 million Clark County project on hold after Home Road explosion

Construction workers recovering from injuries.
Some of the damage caused by the explosion on Home Road lasst week, March 21, 2023. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

Some of the damage caused by the explosion on Home Road lasst week, March 21, 2023. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Work on a portion of the $4.6 million renovation project at the Home Road campus of the Clark County Department of Job and Family Services has paused because of last week’s propane tank explosion.

The project includes improvements to a few buildings and parking lots in the 500 block of East Home Road near the Clark County Combined Health District. The complex will be used for services geared toward benefitting children in Clark County, according to Clark County Department of Job and Family Services director Ginny Martycz.

It’s unclear as of early this week when work will reconvene for the complex’s training center, which saw damage. A meeting planned for today will determine a timeline for renovation of buildings, Martycz said.

The Clark County DJFS doesn’t expect an insurance estimate of the damage until mid-April, according to county officials. Multiple engineers and representatives of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have to assess the scene before building cleanup can occur and renovation work can continue.

Clark County’s DJFS visitation center also remains closed following the incident, but services at the center have been moved to Clark County DJFS’ Lagonda Avenue site, Martycz said.

Renovation work at the complex’s gym building continues, according to a county spokesperson.

The nearby Clark County 911 center, which opened last month, was not damaged during the explosion and fire.

The March 21 propane tank explosion injured three construction workers, two of whom were hospitalized for non-life-threatening burn injuries and one of whom was treated on scene. No county employees were in the impacted buildings at the time.

Martycz said both workers are recovering well.

The Springfield Fire Division Station #7, doors down from the explosion site, responded to extinguish flames and tended to workers in an old children’s home building after the explosion.

A few cars of workers parked near the building project were also damaged from the explosion, some catching fire.

Springfield deputy fire chief Matt Smith said the explosion was unusual, as typically propane explosions happen in remote areas like farms and not in clusters of buildings.

No nearby Springfield City Schools buildings were directly affected. Student arrivals at Roosevelt Middle School were affected temporarily.

Some of the damage caused by the explosion on Home Road on March 21, 2023. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Credit: Bill Lackey

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Credit: Bill Lackey

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