June 28, 2024, Press Release from the Office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine: (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio General Assembly today announced significant investments contained in House Bill 2, the capital budget bill. The capital budget includes $133.5 million to continue the DeWine-Husted Administration’s efforts to build a statewide system of mental healthcare and will provide lifelines of support for Ohioans living with mental illness. This funding includes $10 million for the design and planning of a new, state-of-the-art behavioral healthcare hospital in the Miami Valley. The new hospital will add more than 200 patient beds, increasing access to care for those in need of inpatient services, while reducing the burden on hospitals in other regions of the state.

Troy Elwer – Promotions and Fair Manager – “Any opportunity that we have to improve or add new facilities to these already preexisting facilities I see as very, very beneficial.”

Allen County is earmarked for just over 7-million dollars in the state’s 2023-2024 capital budget. A few of the projects tagged are an Apollo Regional Training and Safety program, an Allen County Fair Youth Show arena, a Lima community pool, and improvements at the Schoonover Observatory. These dollars are essential for the projects to move forward.

Plans for a new underground bike path in New Bremen are in the works. 

The budget proposed $500,000 for projects in Allen County.

When the request is more than the resources, hard decisions need to be made.