ASHTABULA — Christmas appears to have come a little early this year for the Ashtabula Senior Center and Ashtabula Port Authority.
U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Bainbridge, secured $250,000 for the center and $500,000 for the Port Authority in the $447 billion Omnibus Appropriations Bill approved by Congress Thursday.
Troy Bailey, director of the Ashtabula Senior Center, said the money will be used to help the center find a new home. Housed in the former Shea’s movie theater on Main Avenue since the early 1980s, the center has outgrown the building and needs to relocate to a larger, more functional structure.
“The ideal situation would be 1,500 square feet within the city limits, on one floor and with upfront parking,” Bailey said.
The center’s board has looked at a variety of options, from purchasing land and putting up a new building, to renovating an existing one. He said the new-building option has been put on the wayside because of the tremendous cost: $2 million to $3 million.
Bailey said his understanding of the stipulations that come with the $250,000 grant is that the money can be used for a variety of purposes, including property acquisition, engineering studies and construction/ renovation. Regardless of how the money will be used, Bailey said it will be just “a piece of the puzzle” when it comes to funding a new home for the center, the only free-standing senior center in the county.
The board also is looking at an additional levy, loans, donations, fundraisers and foundation gifts as funding sources for the project.
“Seniors are the bedrock of our communities, and we have to make sure we take care of them,” LaTourette said. “This will allow the Senior Center to continue to provide top-of-line services in a top-flight facility.”
The $500,000 headed to the Ashtabula Port Authority will provide money to study the feasibility of passenger/ cargo ferry service between Ashtabula and Port Maitland, Ontario, Canada.
Alicia McFarland, economic director of the Port Authority, said the group will discuss the funding at its meeting Wednesday evening. She said the authority has been looking into the project for several years; however, the big roadblock is the federal Harbor Maintenance Tax, which would have to be paid by the ferry vendor.
The Port Authority is working with U.S. representatives from the lakeshore districts to see what kind of legislation could be proposed to circumvent the tax for ferry service. McFarland said that without that exception, the service most likely would not be economically feasible.
If that and other issues were resolved, the service could be a big boost to the local economy, providing a link between Canada and the entire Eastern seaboard, said McFarland. The service would run out of Pinney Dock, which provides immediate access to Route 11 and the 60-acre Ashtabula City Industrial Park. LaTourette also obtained funding for that economic development project in a previous round of funding.
In announcing the funding, LaTourette reiterated his commitment to the concept.
“I’ve always been a big believer in ferry service along Lake Erie,” he said. “I think Lake Erie is one of northeast Ohio’s biggest assets and we have to figure out ways to take advantage of our strengths.”
LaTourette is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
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