Last week the Belmont County Board of Commissioners transferred $714,743 from the East Ohio Regional Industrial Park fund to the county general fund for eventual use in plans to change the Mall Road/I-70 interchange and open up land for development in the Ohio Valley Mall/Plaza area east of St. Clairsville.
Commissioners earmarked the money for the industrial park by reestablishing a county infrastructure fund on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009. That fund included earmarking $714,474 for the water and sewer installation project.
Ground was broken for the park in October of 2009 and an access road has since been built using grant monies.
Local officials are surprised by the move, but are continuing development plans for the 200-acre site and remain hopeful that the county will continue to support the project.
The development of the industrial park is a joint effort between the Belmont County Commissioners, the Port Authority, the village of Barnesville, Warren Township and Oxford Mining. More than $1 million has been received for the project through development grants. Oxford Mining donated 200 acres of land for the industrial park, and the county has an option to obtain an additional 652 acres of adjacent land for future expansion.
Barnesville officials are currently seeking a federal grant for installation of an infrastructure systems at the site. Officials have been meeting with county commissioners regularly. The committee consists of four council members, Village Administrator Roger Deal, Barnesville Mayor Tom Michelli, Barnesville Economic Development Director Bill Knox, Director of the Belmont County Port Authority Larry Merry, Belmont County Commissioner Ginny Favede and a representative of the Belmont County Water and Sewer Department.
In an op-ed printed in the Sunday, July 18 edition of The Times Leader, Commissioner Favede said the funds were transferred because the mall project is "moving quicker and has a greater chance of success right now" than the industrial park. Favede said that when the industrial park shows "movement" the board will financially support it.
Barnesville officials have been assured that if grant monies are secured for infrastructure, the county will follow through with matching funds.
Commissioner Chuck Probst voted against the fund transfer. He has said that while he supports the mall interchange project, he feels the money should remain in the industrial park fund pending outcome of the grant applications filed by Barnesville.
The commission has only verbal commitments from the Ohio Department of Transportation on the I-70 changes.
(See letter to the editor on page A-4).
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