Washington County, Ohio

A sprawling County with a Great Quality of Life

Building the Future Through a Visionary Approach

Washington County is a region where history, natural resources, and forward-thinking economic development intersect to create an area rich with potential. Comprising the cities of  Marietta and Belpre, as well as many villages and townships, the county spans 640 square miles, and is home to close to 60,000 people.

Located in the southeastern part of the state, Washington County is not only the oldest county in Ohio but also one of its most ideally situated, bordered by the rushing waters of the Ohio River and crisscrossed by several major waterways, including the Muskingum River.

Key Economic Drivers

Boasting an excellent location, top notch school districts, as well as many quality of life amenities, County Commissioner Charlie Schilling says one of Washington County’s greatest assets is its strong workforce.

He shares, “There’s a lot of talent and a great work ethic within our workforce. Right now, we’re working to provide the infrastructure needed to be able to attract development, but I feel like our workforce is one of the real benefits that we have.”

Schilling notes that agriculture has long been a cornerstone of the region, and manufacturing has become a vital sector in recent years.

“We have companies that work with NASA, and companies that provide parts for companies all around the world,” he touts. “Right now, we’re working on some infrastructure and also site preparation in order to provide more space for our local businesses, to not only grow, but to be able to attract other industries as well.”

Healthcare is another economic driver, and Memorial Health Systems is the county’s largest employer, with approximately 3,500 employees. Schilling mentions a collaboration between Memorial, Akron Children’s and the Mayo Clinic Care Network to improve healthcare offerings throughout Washington County and the Mid Ohio Valley region, including a $125 million project to open a 50 bed children’s hospital in Belpre.

Welcoming Communities

Washington County is also committed to enhancing its community spaces. The city of Marietta is home to a popular trail along the river, providing outdoor recreation opportunities for walking and cycling.

“I think each one of our cities and our villages have a nice vision of what outdoor recreation looks like,” describes Schilling. “Our villages seem to be able to attract a crowd anytime they have a festival of sorts.”

Washington County is also an attractive tourism destination and has taken steps to build on this reputation in recent years. Shilling applauds the efforts of Governor Mike DeWine and the Appalachian Community Grant Program which has provided significant funding to the region, enabling cities like Marietta and villages like Beverly to enhance their tourism infrastructure.

Recognized as the first settlement of the Northwest Territory and often referred to as the “Gateway to the West,” the county’s location at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, was a draw for early settlers.

“We offer really nice museums here in order to embrace that history,” depicts Schilling.

“That’s a part of the attraction that comes with Washington County. George Washington was a surveyor before he became president. He’d surveyed this area, and he thought this would be a great place to locate a city. So, there’s a historical perspective that assists us as well when it comes to travel and tourism.”

Economic Development and Infrastructure

Washington County is in the midst of significant economic growth, with Executive Director Jesse Roush of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority playing a central role in its development efforts. “Jesse is a real rock star for us,” remarks Schilling. “He has helped us transform a vision in this county that is going to be great for generations to come.”

One significant project is the development of the Muskingum River Industrial Park, a 165-acre site that once housed a coal-fired power plant and is now being transformed into a hub for industrial and technological growth.

“That’s really given us a bargaining chip to attract attention, attract investment opportunities,” Roush recounts. “ We recently just completed a pretty good sized high performance computing center, and that project really has helped us fuel a second project, which is a multimodal port facility on the river.”

This 200- megawatt data center will encompass18 acres within the industrial park, and will incorporate a mix of advanced technologies, including cryptocurrency operations, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing.

“That 18 acres was not great for traditional development, it’s under overhead power lines,” he shares. “But in the rest of the industrial park there’s about 60 acres, which is a really strong traditional industrial commercial development opportunity.”

Efforts are underway to attract traditional industrial and commercial businesses to the remaining land. Companies in methanol production, steel manufacturing, and electric vehicle battery production have shown interest, and the potential for a blue fuels project on the site has also been identified.

Roush expands, “We’ve had it assessed, and we have a preliminary site plan that shows that that 60 acres is perfectly served for some sort of processed based manufacturing, whether that’s petrochemical fuels or something else. So that’s really where we’re positioning it right now.”

He mentions Commissioner Schilling’s advocacy through the Ohio Gas Access Partnership, which is helping secure legislative support to bring natural gas to the industrial park, opening the door to further economic opportunities.

“That’s our one glaring gap in our due diligence and our site assessment, is we need to get natural gas there. It’s only a mile away, so it’s very achievable, and that changes our competitiveness for one of those petrochemical processing facilities,” Roush asserts. Second to that, the plan is to marry a 99 car rail loop that goes through the middle of the industrial park.

“That rail then connects to the Ohio River. So, once we complete this second  acquisition and get our multimodal port facility off and running, the two sites working totally in synergy will support that petrochemical development down the road,” he maintains.

Located in the number one inland waterway port in the U.S., Washington County features the most riverfront in the state. “There’s a lot of opportunity for economic development. This project that we’re working on would pull those two modes of transportation together along with the highway system, and that really gives us a hub to be able to move both raw material inputs and value added products back out of the region,” he expands. “Because the Ohio River is effectively connected to the world’s markets via New Orleans, we really have a tremendous opportunity to change the way we export and import materials here in the county.”

Housing and Infrastructure

Not immune to the challenges of housing availability, Washington County is focused on providing options for an aging population. This includes the possible development of senior housing on 300 acres of county-owned property, surrounding a levy funded county home.

Schilling suggests, “If we can provide some affordable housing options when it comes to our seniors, then that has the ability to open up inventory for the younger couple that’s just starting out, to be able to get into those homes that are in the 100 to $200,000 range.”

Along with this, infrastructure improvements are being made to facilitate housing development, especially in the growing city of Belpre. Schilling elaborates, “There’s a real need for housing there. We’re wanting to attract those professionals that are going to be working at the hospital and other areas.”

Noting that a developer is interested in adding 100 new units, he says that water infrastructure improvements are crucial to move forward with residential development. “We’re in need of housing in the Belpre, Warren and Beverly area, and there are water associations that have moratoriums in certain places, because they need to improve their infrastructure before they can take on any more residential customers.”

Washington County is also tackling the Devola Sewer Project, the second largest infrastructure project in the county’s history. This $15 million undertaking is set to connect 565 homes to the county’s sewer infrastructure.

While the project was mandated before Schilling’s time in office, his administration has worked diligently to secure funding, reducing the burden on local residents. “We were able to acquire grants from the state and federal government, from the US Army Corps of Engineers, and within about 18 months, we had the project fully funded,” he expands. “What that means is, instead of these 565 residents’ sewer rates being $150 a month, now they’re around $75.”

Future Plans

Looking ahead, Schilling and Roush convey that Washington County has plans to continue progressing in both infrastructure development and economic revitalization, while championing the Ohio River as an untapped economic advantage.

“We feel that this asset can be huge not only for the counties along the Ohio River, but the counties that are adjacent as well. There’s so much opportunity there, and we’re going to continue to advocate for that,” Schilling summarizes.

AT A GLANCE

Washington County, Ohio

What: The oldest county in Ohio, with a vibrant future vision

Where: Ohio’s Midlands Region

Website: https://washingtongov.org/