County using $305,000 from capital budget on three projects

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·4 min read
The City of Coshocton recently received $60,000 in the capital budget to replace bricks and fix sidewalks in Roscoe Village. The county received $305,000 overall for three projects.
The City of Coshocton recently received $60,000 in the capital budget to replace bricks and fix sidewalks in Roscoe Village. The county received $305,000 overall for three projects.

COSHOCTON — Coshocton County is earmarked to received $305,000 for three projects in the latest capital budget from the state legislature, via the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The City of Coshocton will get $60,000 for the Roscoe Village infrastructure project, Our Town Coshocton will receive $45,000 for the Selby Building revitalization and $200,000 is going to the Coshocton County Connector.

Multi-use path connector

Coshocton County Administrator Mary Beck said the path project is in conjunction with the Coshocton County Engineer's Office and will connect Lake Park to a multi-use path on County Road 621. There is already a path connecting Lake Park with a path on County Road 1A.

Beck said they are still in the initial planning stages of the project and are unsure where the path will connect.

The engineer's office and Coshocton County Coordinated Transportation Agency is pursuing a longer path project via Transportation Alternations Program funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation. 

Phase one would be along County Road 621 near Hahn Oil, through Canal Lewisville and ending at the Three Rivers Fire District station. Phase two would be near Airport Road from Ohio 621 to U.S. 36. Phase three would be from the intersection of U.S. 36 and Ohio 83 to Ohio 621. Path construction won't start until 2026 if funding is awarded. The trail would be for walking, bicycling and those using mobile accessibility devices.

Our Town Coshocton received $45,000 for renovations of the Selby Building in the recently released capital budget. Remodeling is underway that will include fixing a hole in the roof and exterior masonry repairs. The county overall received 305,000 for three projects.
Our Town Coshocton received $45,000 for renovations of the Selby Building in the recently released capital budget. Remodeling is underway that will include fixing a hole in the roof and exterior masonry repairs. The county overall received 305,000 for three projects.

Selby Building project

Renovations to the Selby Building started in April by Midstate Contractors of Marion. Our Town Coshocton took ownership of the building in December and have identified end users in developers Paul Gilbert and Matt Parsons, who recently moved to Coshocton from Texas.

Initial remodeling will include fixing the hole in the roof, removal of debris, masonry work and completely reframing/reflooring the stories below the roof collapse.

OTC has received $300,000 from the Joseph W., Fred E. and Helen LeRetilley Johnston fund through the Coshocton Foundation and $200,000 from the Montgomery Foundation for remodeling. The money from the state will go toward general work, said OTC Director Lanny Spaulding.

The historic building by the railroad tracks on Main Street is three stories and 62,000 square feet. It was erected in 1895 by Edgar O. Selby. It has housed many businesses over the years, most prominently the J.J. Newberry five-and-dime store from 1921 to 1993. It's been vacant since 2011. Parsons and Gilbert said their plans for the Selby include a combination of apartments, event space and retail space.

"(The) money is a tremendous vote of confidence, as we are repairing the worst damage to the Selby building and clearing the runway for a multiple purpose end use in the private sector," Spaulding said.

Lanny Spaulding and Tom Barcroft of Our Town Coshocton review floor issues with Doug Hooper of Midstate Contractors of Marion, center. OTC recently received $45,000 from the capital budget for continued renovations of the historic building.
Lanny Spaulding and Tom Barcroft of Our Town Coshocton review floor issues with Doug Hooper of Midstate Contractors of Marion, center. OTC recently received $45,000 from the capital budget for continued renovations of the historic building.

Roscoe Village project

The city is currently working on a renovation project for Roscoe Village that includes paving, tree removal, sidewalk repairs, replacement of railroad ties for parking spots and installing new catch basins for storm water runoff.

The capital budget funding will specifically go to revitalizing the sidewalks with new bricks. Safety Service Director Max Crown said parking spots, curbs and sidewalks haven't been touched since the recreation of a canal era town opened in 1973. The total project is about $250,000.

Crown said the sidewalks are technically the responsibility of the property owners, so this funding will allow the city to do work without a financial burden on them. The city has already done some brick work and is hoping to finish the sidewalks prior to paving season starting in August, Crown said.

Roscoe Village is a linchpin to a $58 million a year tourist industry for Coshocton County that connects to 750 jobs, per the Coshocton Visitors Bureau. So, keeping it looking nice is important, Crown said. Once the project is completed, he said Roscoe Village should be good for 15 to 20 years before another major project is needed.

Workers of the City of Coshocton affix railroad ties along the side of Whitewoman Street in Roscoe Village as part of a renovation project. The city recently received $60,000 in the capital budget specifically for fixing sidewalks with new bricks. In all, the county received more than $300,000/ Our Town Coshocton will get $45,000 for the Selby Building revitalization and $200,000 is going to the Coshocton County Connector.

Mayor Mark Mills said work in Roscoe Village and on the Selby Building will be a major benefit to the city and he's glad legislators saw this. He gave thanks to Sen. Jay Hottinger and Rep. Kevin Miller who serve Coshocton in helping to get funding for the projects.

"Coshocton will make smart use of any dollar made available to it. While we are not waiting to make our community safer and more inviting to visitors and outside investment, these monies from the legislature come at an important time for the historic downtown and Roscoe Village.” Mills said.

Mills hopes the money is just the tip of the iceberg. Hottinger recently offered an amendment to House Bill 377 that would appropriate $500 million from American Rescue Plan Act to the Governor's Community Grant Program. The focus is to be infrastructure, workforce and health care projects in Ohio's 32 Appalachian counties, including Coshocton.

“It is my hope these dollars from the capital budget foreshadow the potential dollars that would be made available by Gov. DeWine’s $500 million pitch to fund projects in historic rural communities. We’re not waiting, but we are ready for when the statehouse would answer the governor’s call for Appalachia,” Mills said.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: County using $305,000 from capital budget on three projects