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Wilkin Announces Funds for Economic Development

December 9, 2024
Shane Wilkin News
 

COLUMBUS—State Senator Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) announced more than $1.6 million will be distributed throughout multiple communities to support the development of brownfield sites. 

"These critical dollars will help support development in our neighborhoods, turning these locations into great places we can all enjoy," Wilkin said. "This is just the first step to helping our communities continue to grow and thrive."

Projects receiving awards include:

  • Rocky Fork Truck Stop (Highland County): $497,522 - The former gas station and convenience store includes contamination from underground storage tanks removed in 2023. The project will prepare the property for future commercial or industrial development.
  • U.S. Bank Building (Lawrence County): $427,000 - This funding will address asbestos remediation in the historic First National Bank of Ironton. Floors 2–6 of the building are vacant and will be updated for economic use.
  • Chesapeake Community Center (Lawrence County): $97,560 - This project will involve asbestos remediation in the Chesapeake Community Center.
  • Biomass Demolition Phase II (Lawrence County): $425,739 - These funds will support the demolition of hazardous structures at the former South Point Biomass site, which will be part of The Point Industrial Park.
  • Masonic Lodge (Lawrence County): $49,701 - This project involves asbestos removal from the Masonic Building in downtown Ironton. The building will be turned into a mixed-use development site.
  • Former New Lexington Fire Station (Perry County): $200,000 - These funds will assist with the abatement of lead-based paint and asbestos-containing materials to prepare the site for redevelopment into mixed-use spaces.

This funding is part of the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program that is currently funded through House Bill 33, the state's main operating budget which Wilkin supported. This program aims to help clean up industrial, commercial, and institutional brownfield sites. The grant program launched in 2021 and since then has awarded more than $636 million to support 626 projects in 86 counties. 

Learn more about the program and the communities receiving funding here.