Ross County — The commissioners told an audience of outdoor recreation proponents that they couldn’t fit a large membership fee to a Southern Ohio recreation consortium into their 2025 budget…but it could still be added later.
A week before the Ross County Commissioners pass their budget, the proponents spoke to them for the second time about becoming a paid member of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA).
The formal proposal was on October 28th, where the commissioners were asked to consider a first-year membership fee of $180K with the option to back out after year one, or continue with a fee of $90K for each year two and three.
One of the speakers, Isabella Blackman, explained the situation in my below interview video with her. (I also recorded the first few speakers, including her, in another video.)
The group had spoken to the commissioners a week before, when she said the commissioners had some concerns, mostly with public support. So, Blackman said she reached out to as many supporters as possible in a short timeframe.
One was an online petition, which she said netted a surprising number of responses in only 48 hours (there was even a comment from Wales). She shared its stats – as of 6am before the 9am Monday meeting:
- Total Signatures: 443
Signatures from Ross County Residents: 318
Signatures from Non-Residents: 125
- Total Counties Reached across the USA: 87
- Total Comments: 67
The petition is still live and can be found on the Facebook and Instagram pages of Chillicothe Trails, and will continue to stay open for the next two weeks (although the signature feature may end).
Blackman said the response from the commissioners is trending more positive, but they said they need to see more responses and comments, and economic data from neighboring counties. Blackman said the effort also needs to coordinate with local governments like the City of Chillicothe, and nonprofits like the Visitors Bureau and ODOT.
She also pointed out that Ohio governor Mike DeWine has been pushing for these initiatives too, showing that the number one and two most sought-out resources by people moving to Ohio are recreational trails. With more data, Blackman hopes to show outdoor recreation is unifying…instead of the assumption that the commissioners are being asked to fund just bike trails.
Blackman said she grew up and Iowa, and lived in San Fransicso “in some pretty incredible communities.” But when her future husband Jubal Davis Jr. brought her home to Chillicothe, she said she was “blown away” by the local terrain – and felt that we can have similar recreational developments here. She says her husband was a professional mountain biker, and now has a repair shop on Delano Road.
Ty McBee, president of the nonprofit “Chillicothe Trails,” said the request for the county to become a paid member was in part to be ready to harness a potential grant for local trail development. Proponents also pointed out that they volunteer much time and money to add to efforts by local government and funded by grants.
Blackman said questions regarding this matter can be directed toward Chillicothe Trails via their Facebook and Instagram pages, and email at [email protected].
