Ashtabula County will be added to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and should reap the benefits of membership, county and federal officials said Monday.
“It’s great,” said County Commissioner Peggy Carlo. “I’m extremely ecstatic about it. It’s going to open doors to a lot of opportunities.”
U.S. Rep. Steven LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Township, a proponent of the designation, said the language is contained in a federal ARC amendment already approved by the U.S. House and passed Friday by the U.S. Senate. The amendment now awaits President Bush’s signature.
Ashtabula County, along with Trumbull and Mahoning counties, will receive the designation, LaTourette said in a statement.
“This has been a long, arduous process, but we kept at it, and it’s finally going to happen,” he said.
ARC status often helps expedite local projects by making it easier to obtain federal and state funding, LaTourette said. ARC funds a variety of infrastructure projects, as well as workforce training, small-business start-ups and downtown revitalization, he said.
“I think this ARC designation will help the dollars flow into Ashtabula County,” LaTourette said in the statement.
Some people believe there’s a stigma with the ARC designation, but County Commissioner Joseph Moroski strongly disagrees.
“There’s a lot of bantering back and forth on this,” he said. “Some people believe the chief distracting point is that it makes us a part of Appalachia. But there are several of these councils.
“On balance it will be a good thing,” Moroski said. “It gives us access to extra money for infrastructure. It’s an extra pot of money to go to. (County) taxpayers are sending money to the federal government. Wouldn’t we like to get a little more back? I certainly would.”
Commissioner Daniel Claypool also believes the ARC title will carry some financial clout.
“I don’t know what it will do for us yet, but it will provide opportunities not available now,” he said. “It’s not a negative but an opportunity to become involved in projects we’re not normally involved in.”
Local News
Appalachia plan good for county
- Local News
-
-
Sports, academics to come together
SPIRE Institute will expand its educational base and accept international students into its sports performance programs through a partnership with the Andrews Osborne Academy, Ted Meekma, SPIRE management team member, announced Wednesday.
-
Grand Valley sixth grader wins Ashtabula County Spelling Bee
James Elliott, a sixth grader at Grand Valley Middle School, clinched his win of the 29th annual Ashtabula County Area V Spelling Bee by successfully spelling the words “physique” and “daffodil.”
-
Conneaut Chamber lauds top citizen, ‘Champions’
Nicholas Iarocci, Conneaut’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, needed plenty of gulps of water to complete his acceptance speech Tuesday night.
-
Conneaut’s unpaved roads will get priority status in 2012
Secondary roads in Conneaut will get the lion’s share of attention from the Public Works’ Department this year, said City Manager Tim Eggleston.
-
Felony charge filed in robbery
An Ashtabula woman who police said grabbed a woman’s purse inside a Conneaut supermarket late Monday afternoon faces a felony charge in Conneaut Municipal Court, according to reports.
-
Ashtabula County building projects readied for bids
Up to four improvement projects for county-owned buildings are being lined up for bids in the next month.
-
City of Ashtabula looking for new auditor
Six candidates have applied for city auditor, which City Council President J.P. Ducro IV says he hopes to fill by the end of March.
-
Red Cross holding breakfast for ‘Community Heroes’
The Red Cross Community Heroes Breakfast will honor 12 county residents March 3 at the Bernard Vacca Community Center.
-
New film showcases county’s scenic rivers
Ohio’s Scenic Rivers program, which protects stretches of 14 waterways — including three in Ashtabula County — is the focus of a new movie by a Dayton-based independent filmmaker.
-
Students can donate clothing to Goodwill
Many Ashtabula Area City Schools students will find themselves cleaning out their closets this week.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Sports, academics to come together
