FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARC awards $1 million in Appalachian projects

Columbus, OH -- Governor Bob Taft today announced that two communities and two medical facilities in Ohio’s Appalachian region will receive grant money totaling more than $1million from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for various community projects.

“This federal funding will help grantees in Appalachia Ohio make the needed investments to help sustain quality of life for citizens in their communities,” said Taft. “The Appalachian Regional Commission’s assistance is critical to helping Ohio’s Appalachian region achieve that initiative.”

The following communities receiving assistance are:

The Village of Coal Grove (Lawrence County) will receive a $183,200 grant from the ARC to repair and replace failing wastewater treatment equipment. The community is facing an increase in maintenance and repair costs in its efforts to meet existing treatment demands. ARC funds will be used to improve the existing facility, including replacing pumps and installing a new storage tank and new drying beds. This project will result in improved sewer service to 839 households and businesses.

East Ohio Regional Hospital, located in Martins Ferry (Belmont County) will receive a $200,000 grant from the ARC to purchase equipment for a new surgical center at the hospital. The hospital is replacing its aging operating and recovery room, which no longer meets today’s standards. The hospital will construct a new operating center adjacent to the existing hospital, which will consist of six surgical suites, two endoscopy suites, a 16-bed pre-operative holding area and a 16-bed post-operative recovery area. This project will maintain the hospital’s ability to perform 4,500 surgical procedures each year. In addition, 30 jobs will be created upon completion of the project.

Marietta Memorial Hospital, located in Marietta (Washington County) will receive a $415,665 grant from the ARC to purchase equipment for a new $25 million surgical center at the hospital. The current facility being used by the hospital is obsolete and too small as patient numbers continues to grow. The South Pavilion project will be a new wing of Marietta Memorial Hospital. The three-story center will consist of a new emergency room department and operating rooms. The hospital is projecting a 5 percent increase in the number of surgery patients as a result of this investment.

The Village of Beaver (Pike County) will receive a $300,000 grant from the ARC to install a 100,000-gallon water storage tank in the community, and make renovations at the water treatment plant. Construction of a new water storage tank will provide the needed water storage and pressure for the newly-constructed high school and reinforce the capacity of the village’s existing water system. In addition, repairs are needed at the village’s water treatment plant. Funding will help to renovate the aging facility’s mechanical, electrical and treatment equipment. This project will provide a safe water supply for the community and improve the overall efficiency of the water treatment plant.

ARC-funded projects were made possible through assistance from the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association, the Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District, the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission and the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, a division of the Ohio Department of Development.

To qualify for funding, projects must meet at least one of the following criteria as set out by the ARC. They must either increase job opportunities and per capita income in Appalachia to reach parity with the nation; strengthen the capacity of the people of Appalachia to compete in the global economy; develop and improve Appalachia’s infrastructure to make the region economically competitive; and/or build the Appalachian development highway system to reduce Appalachia’s isolation.

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