BY THE CHRONICLE STAFF

COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik announced Tuesday, June 30, 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.

The goal of LoCo Kids Foundation “is to inspire a lifelong love of learning by providing a dynamic and interactive environment where children can explore, discover, and create through hands-on experiences,” according to the foundation’s website.

“We are dedicated to fostering curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in young minds, empowering the next generation to explore the world around them with wonder and confidence. Through play and discovery, we strive to create an inclusive space that nurtures the joy of learning for all children and families in Logan County and beyond.”

The Department of Development is awarding this funding as part of the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program. Tuesday’s announcement includes nearly $8.4 million for 22 cleanup and remediation projects and $7.1 million for 41 assessment projects.

“The Brownfield Remediation Program has been transformative in Ohio, and it has been incredible to see the difference it has made all over the state,” said Governor DeWine.

“Every dilapidated storefront or longtime neighborhood eyesore we help clean up is a new opportunity for our local partners to breathe new life into their communities.”

Since its launch in 2021, the Brownfield Remediation Program has provided nearly $800 million to support 904 projects in 87 counties.

“A vacant old warehouse or run-down gas station does more than just impact a neighborhood’s appearance — they weigh down the potential of the people who live and work nearby,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “By investing in a future for these sites, we’re investing in a future where any community can become Ohio’s next great success story.”

This round of funding was made possible with support from the Ohio General Assembly in the most recent biennium budget bill, which allocated $200 million toward the program. As required by the bill, $1 million has been reserved for applicants in each of Ohio’s 88 counties for Fiscal Year 2026, with awards being made via a merit-based process.

The Brownfield Remediation Program is part of Governor Mike DeWine's Ohio BUILDS Initiative, which focuses on supporting targeted solutions that impact quality of life, such as water infrastructure improvements, broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment and the demolition of blighted buildings. ■