United vision leads to Appalachian grant for Holmes County

Last month Holmes County secured $5.7 million of Appalachia Grant infrastructure funding for the Village of Killbuck.

According to Holmes County commissioner Dave Hall, who went to Ashtabula for the reveal of the recipients of the Appalachian Grant funds, the intention of these federal grants was to promote outdoor activity and growth in Appalachia Country.

OMEGA will serve as a pass-through for the funding, and developing that funding mechanism from OMEGA to the project will be key, according to Hall.

With two years to complete the project, Hall said the time to kick this project into gear is now.

“This is probably the most competitive grant I’ve ever seen,” Hall said. “For us to receive this amount is a big win for our county because it builds our infrastructure and invites even more outdoor recreationalists to visit our community.”

The grant will allow the Killbuck area to receive several key additions.

According to Hall, many of the problematic underground infrastructure drainage areas that were created during the infamous flood of 1969 will be improved and replaced.

The connector from the Killbuck Depot to the Holmes County Rails to Trails system will be completed, creating a proper right of way along Main Street including a bicycle path.

There will be a gazebo built on the square in town, and the village will work with the Killbuck Valley Land Trust to develop the wetlands near state Route 520.

In addition, the village will receive new lighting in the downtown area, and the grant request also includes a canoe landing along the Killbuck Creek, something Hall said is critical because the county is making great strides in creating a quality avenue for water travel like canoes, kayaks and tubing for outdoor enthusiasts and recreational purposes.

New sidewalks also will be built downtown, along with some other minor projects to beautify the Killbuck area.

“We want to give Killbuck a new look,” Hall said. “The huge thing is the connector to the Killbuck Valley Land Trust and their new trail that extends up into the old quarry. That will be a beautiful piece of natural land when that project is completed.”

Hall said the important purpose of the grant is it goes toward creating better infrastructure in the area, something that was much needed. He said embedding that in the grant meant Killbuck residents wouldn’t be saddled with increased tax dollars to fix sewer and water lines.

While the Killbuck project was the only grant request that was supported by the Appalachian Grant dollars, a dedicated committee worked closely with a number of other county entities seeking grant funding through the process that requires all projects to be completed by 2026.

Hall said while those other requests didn’t receive funding, there remains a possibility that should other projects throughout Appalachia Country that were granted funds fall through, Holmes County could receive more because these other plans are ready to go at a moment’s notice.

“I’ve looked at all of the projects funded through the grant, and some of them might not be ready for prime time,” Hall said. “I’ve already talked with the governor’s office and told them that if there is anything available, we would be able to flip (any unused funds) to our other communities like Glenmont, Holmesville and Millersburg, which were all part of the bigger picture grant.”

Hall has been in ongoing discussion with Holmes County engineer Chris Young, who was part of the Holmes County Appalachian Funds Grant Planning Committee, and the two agreed that despite there being a short window, so much preparation has been poured into the details of all of Holmes County’s requests that these other projects could be completed in short order, meeting the 2026 deadline if additional dollars should be granted.

“These other projects are ready to go,” Hall said. “We have additional projects in Charm, in Berlin, and we can flip the switch quickly because we are shovel ready on these projects.”

Hall said the way Holmes County united many different aspects of its community together to build its grant proposal set a shining example of how communities can work together for a common goal.

“I think our willingness to unite and work together showed people we were willing to fight hard for what we believe in,” Hall said. “We didn’t have specialists writing this grant. It was Holmes County people working together as a team.”

Hall said while the other grant requests didn’t receive funding, those plans are now in the governor’s hands, and should available dollars arise, Hall said Gov. DeWine knows Holmes County is full of people and groups who know how to plan and get things done.

“Our Appalachian Grant committee started with a dream and worked together, and we don’t see this committee going away,” Hall said. “These plans are in place, and we’ve put ourselves in a place where our small rural community can compete with these larger cities for grant dollars moving forward.”