MARIETTA, Ohio — The Ohio Office of Budget and Management has approved the release of $2,150,000 for the first phase of the Ohio River Museum renovation in Marietta, State Representative Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta) announced in a release from his Ohio House office.
Phase 1 of the two-phase museum project includes the installation of new exhibits, construction of the building shell, and preparation of half of the facility to house the Washington County Public Library’s Local History and Genealogical Archives, according to Rep. Ritter’s announcement.
“I’m pleased to see these important projects moving forward,” Rep. Ritter said in the Ohio House release. “Not only do these kinds of investments boost our future workforce, but they strengthen our commitment to preserving the region’s local history and cultural heritage.”
The same funding release includes $130,000 for restoration updates at the Marietta Castle Museum, the historic Gothic Revival house built circa 1855 and listed as a contributing element in the Marietta National Register Historic District, according to the announcement.
Washington State Community College will receive $118,245 in capital funds through the Workforce Based Training & Equipment RAPIDS Program, Rep. Ritter’s office announced. In partnership with the Northern Appalachia Collaborative, the project will expand regional training in in-demand occupations such as automotive, engineering and health care, according to the release.
The three awards together total nearly $2.4 million for the 94th House District, split between Marietta’s river heritage sites and workforce training. The Ohio River Museum sits on the Muskingum River near its confluence with the Ohio and is the home port of the W.P. Snyder Jr., the last intact steam-powered sternwheel towboat of its kind.
Housing the public library’s local history and genealogical archives inside the renovated museum will put Washington County’s documentary record alongside its river artifacts in a single facility, under the plan described in the announcement. The release did not give a construction schedule for Phase 1 or a funding figure for the second phase.
What happens next is project design and contracting by the museum and the college under the state’s capital release process, with the RAPIDS equipment funds aimed at training programs tied to employers across the Northern Appalachia region.
Photo: Wolfgang8741, CC BY-SA 4.0