MARIETTA — The Washington County Commissioners on Thursday made good on a promise to approve additional funding for the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority after that agency met a challenge issued by the commission earlier this year.
“We appropriated $75,000 for the authority this year, but they had requested $100,000,” said Commissioner David White.
He said the commissioners agreed to match, dollar-for-dollar, any funding the authority could raise toward that $100,000 goal.
On Thursday a letter from the port authority notified the commissioners that the goal had been surpassed and the agency had a total of $123,000.
“They raised the money so we will give them the additional $25,000,” said Commissioner Ron Feathers.
In other business, the county will receive a $316,500 Rural Transit Grant for operation of the Community Action Bus Lines in 2017, according to an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Commission clerk Rick Peoples said the 2017 grant is only slightly lower than the county received from ODOT for the current year.
The commissioners also approved a continuing contract with the Multi-County Juvenile Detention Center in Lancaster to house juvenile offenders from Washington County at a cost of $95 per day.
During Thursday’s session Muskingum Township Trustee Gary Doan reported the township is one of 12 jurisdictions being considered for a Watershed Stabilization Grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
“We’ve asked for a $135,000 grant,” Doan said. “Hopefully we will hear in February that it has been approved.”
He said the funding would be used to offset the cost of a riverbank stabilization project along Muskingum River Road north of Devols Dam.
