COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik recently announced a total of $15.5 million in grants to help communities in 35 counties clean up contaminated properties and prepare them for redevelopment.

Among the award recipients is the local nonprofit organization the Logan County Land Reutilization Corporation for a $105,543 cleanup/remediation of 149 W. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine.

This project will consist of asbestos abatement of a building in downtown Bellefontaine that was constructed in 1927 and previously used as a bar and then as a church.

Following remediation, the local nonprofit organization plans to create a children’s museum - LoCo Kids Imaginarium - in the building.

In June 2025, the organization purchased the 149 W. Columbus Ave. facility. It’s been a flurry of activity ever since, according to the LoCo Kids Foundation website, www.locokids.org.

From July through November 2025, the community stepped up with demo days, including volunteers assisting during the United Way of Logan County’s Community Care Day. Students from Ohio Hi-Point Career Center provided their energy and expertise in helping with the demo days as well in the fall. Other demo days have taken place since then as well, including the Bellefontaine Parks Department stepping up in June.

In addition, during May 2026, Reality Capture Experts spent time at the children’s museum site to capture all of the progress made so far and created a 3D video of the space, which can be viewed from a link on the LoCo Kids Foundation website.

To raise additional funds for the children’s museum, LoCo Kids hosts the rescheduled Pineapple Dash 5K, set for July 25, part of the festivities at Pineapple Palooza that day. All of the 5K proceeds go directly to the opening of the hands-on LoCo Kids Imaginarium.