FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2008

Columbus, OH -- Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher today announced that the City of Marietta has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Governor's Office of Appalachia to renovate the City's vacant historic National Guard Armory for future use as a visitor information and multi-use community center in downtown Marietta. Governor's Office of Appalachia Director Fred Deel was joined by federal, state, and local officials to present the award to the City today.

"Armory Station is an irreplaceable historic building and I commend the community for recognizing its great value to the region as a tool for economic development," said Lt. Governor Fisher, who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development. "The renovated Armory Station will provide a public space in which to showcase the area's talent and history, and increased traffic from visitors and businesses will help create a stronger, more vibrant downtown."

The Ohio National Guard Armory was built in 1914 and has been vacant for 10 years. For several years, the community has been developing partnerships to plan for future use of the armory. Upon completion of renovations, the building will include a visitor information center hosted by the Marietta/Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau that will allow tourists to learn about activities and make purchases. Office space will be available for rent on the upper floors, and the lower floor will be used for a farmer's market in the summer months. There will also be a café and a marketplace store that will feature items handmade by local artisans. Residents will also be invited to utilize the facility for community events. The $1.6 million construction project is expected to create at least six jobs and several part-time positions with the possibility of spurring additional indirect job creation by supporting Marietta's downtown district.

"We want to thank the Buckeye Hills - Hocking Valley Regional Development District, the City of Marietta, Washington County, and all the partners who joined this effort to bring Armory Square to life again," said Governor's Office of Appalachia Director Fred Deel. "Partnerships like this are incredibly important to increasing prosperity for the people of Appalachian Ohio."

"This is an exciting economic development project that brings together a variety of funds toward a great end goal of creating jobs while promoting historic Marietta and the region's artists and entrepreneurs," said Misty Casto, Executive Director of Buckeye Hills.

The Governor's Office of Appalachia is a division of the Department of Development and represents the interests of the 29 counties comprising East Central, Southeast, and Southern Ohio. The Office works on behalf of the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, D.C. to support local, regional, state and federal initiatives that allow the people of Ohio's Appalachian region to obtain economic, educational, and community prosperity.

# # #

Media contacts: Melissa Vince at (614) 466-6619 or Kelly Schlissberg at (614) 466-4133