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Area lawmakers are pleased with the amount of money being reinvested back into their legislative districts.
This year’s budget had “tighter restraints,” said Ohio Rep. Wes Retherford, R-Hamilton, but he and fellow Butler County lawmakers “still found the ability to invest in our communities.”
This is the first capital budget bill process for Reps. Candice Keller, R-Middletown, and George Lang, R-West Chester Twp.
Lang said the investments “are projects that will lead to economic development,” and Keller said the more than $20 million that will be invested in her district “will enrich the lives of Butler County residents.”
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Most of Butler County’s money will be invested in Oxford.
Miami University in Oxford is slated to receive more than $19.5 million for the $30 million Pearson Hall renovation project. Pearson Hall directly impacts thousands of students a year.
Also on the Oxford campus, Hillel at Miami University will be expanded, and Miami will receive $400,000 in state funds for the $3.07 million project.
Miami University Middletown will receive $400,000 for a fire suppression system at Thesken Hall, and Miami University Hamilton will receive $800,000 for a roof replacement project at Wilks and Schwarm halls.
The city of Middletown will receive $750,000 for a project at the Middletown Regional Airport. These tax dollars will be invested in developing dozens of acres of prime airport property. Another $250,000 will be invested in Middletown as the Sorg Opera Revitalization Group received state funds to help restore the historic opera house. The total cost for the Sorg project is slated to be $4.9 million.
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The city of Hamilton will receive $1 million for a projected $33 million Champion Mill Conference and Events Center project. Hamilton is pursuing the project in collaboration with the Butler County Port Authority and the Butler County Visitor’s Bureau, and it would transform part of the old Hamilton Champion Paper Mill complex into a state of the art facility.
The $33 million project makes up only a fraction of the $150 million that will be invested into the Champion Mill Redevelopment Project in the heart of downtown Hamilton. A 750,000-square-foot sports, entertainment and event complex, known as Spooky Nook, will be on the west shore of the Great Miami River.
Other projects getting state funds include:
• Monroe will receive $165,000 for a $330,000 project at Monroe Crossings, a soccer facility for residents in the area. The money will be used to build restroom facilities and a shelter to serve the western side of the property.
• MetroParks of Butler County will receive $350,000 to install a pair of synthetic turf fields with lights at the Athletic Complex at VOA MetroPark.
• Butler Tech will get $200,000 for new equipment as it seeks to renovate its adult manufacturing training programs in Hamilton. The project would support the schools in Hamilton and Colerain Twp.
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