Legislative Breakfast Hosted By Zanesville Muskingum Chamber of Commerce

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, Ohio- State and U.S. Legislators met with community leaders and local business owners Friday morning at the Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast.

They focused on a major economic development project that will provide more job opportunities. 

Intel announced last month that they will be building a facility in nearby Licking County. According to the U.S. Representative Troy Balderson, this is expected to be a three years project.

“So that gives us an opportunity right now to get prepared for this as we move forward. It’s exciting and we’re very blessed and fortunate that they are here, but you’re going to see changes starting mid summer,” Balderson stated. This is going to be great for this community. Zane State, Muskingum, OU, it’s just going to be big and Licking County  Central Ohio Technical College. The vocational piece will be really big. We’re going to get involved with vocational schools and with the high schools.”

Balderson said that workforce development is a part of the Chips Act, which is Legislation at the Federal level.

The Intel Plant will be able to provide 3,000 jobs for residents in the community. 

Ohio State Representative Adam Holmes, who was also in attendance, said implementations of legislation will be one way to help support and prepare folks in those needed areas.

“We’re recognizing that there are opportunities for many young people that live here to get educated and work here, and stay here looking at jobs that they can fill. For sure commercial drivers license and truck driving are also all the trades that we’re looking at. Welding, fabrication, millwrighting, those basic trades are in heavy demand,” Holmes said. 

During the breakfast meeting Senator Tim Schaffer also gave updates on the state budget.

“In my remarks I talked a lot about the state budget. The good things that are happening in the state budget like $350 million dollars for Brownfields remediation across the state, a lot of which I’m trying to pull to the 20th Senate District and the money we have reclamation, demolition reclamation, which we’re trying to snag for some local project here,” Schaffer said. “The million dollars that we got in the budget for the city of Zanesville, for the Dug Road and other remediation efforts going on in the city. It’s all good news.”

State legislators thanked the Chambers of Commerce for continuing to put this event together and the community for always coming together through the good and hard times.