State Board OKs Funding for Washington County Projects

COLUMBUS – The State Controlling Board has approved the release of $200,000 for work at the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County, State Representatives Jay Edwards and Don Jones announced today.

The Boys and Girls Club initiative involves building a gymnasium within a warehouse space located behind and attached to the current established Clubhouse.

The gym will include a basketball court, indoor soccer, volleyball, and kickball markings and adjacent to the gymnasium, there will be seating, locker rooms/restrooms, kitchen/concession stand, and small spaces for classes such as yoga and Zumba.

Funding for the initiative was included in the state construction budget supported by Jones and Edwards.

“This is an important project that will help the Boys and Girls Club serve more youth in the area,” said Jones (R-Freeport). “It’s going to make a difference.”

Edwards (R-Nelsonville) agreed, noting the organization has had a positive impact.

“The Boys and Girls Club of Washington County really does a nice job of helping young people in the community,” he said. 

Also today, the board approved a $600,000 proposal to contract with The Ruhlin Company to provide services for the emergency stabilization of the Muskingum River Parkway Beverly Lock structure located in Beverly. 

The lock is one of ten hand-operated locks on the Muskingum River comprising the Muskingum River Parkway, originally built in 1841 for river steamboat traffic and is associated with a class II dam, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Today, the lock is primarily used for recreational boating traffic, and occasionally for some commercial traffic. Loss of the lock would negatively impact river navigation north and south of Beverly.

According to information filed with the State Controlling Board, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has been working to stabilize and rehabilitate the site since responding last fall to a developing sinkhole and visible misalignment of the upstream lock gate.