Health Department’s Expansion Update

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department updated the Muskingum County Commissioners on their expansion project.

The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department has been working out of two locations for years. Majority of the Health Department employees work at the Seventh street location while about 25 employees work in a building located on Putnam Avenue.

The Muskingum County Commissioners previously accepted the plea to have the Putnam location employees to move their offices to the Seventh Street location.

The Health Department property on Seventh street in downtown is made up of two buildings connected only by a glass atrium. Health Commissioner Corey Hamilton said they presented the county commissioners with an updated plan to connect the buildings to give all employees extra work space.

“It will generate about 1,200 extra square feet on three levels,” Hamilton said. “So it will benefit all the tenants in that building and we’re very much looking forward to their approval on that.”

The Muskingum County Commissioners have to give the Health Department their decision by time the Health Department’s October board meeting takes place. If the County Commissioners accept, the total cost for construction will be $1,922,706.50.

The Health Department also has their half mil renewal levy on the November ballot. Hamilton said the levy supports programs that don’t have a good revenue.

“Our mosquitoes spraying in the summer, our levy program helps to support the hiring of summer interns to do that work and it helps to support the cost of the supplies that we need to do that work,” Hamilton said. “So it’s one thing I think that a lot of people in the community can relate to is that we all benefit from keeping that mosquitoes population down.”

If the renewal levy passes the average cost to a home owner for a $100,000 house is about $15 a year. Then the levy funds will go towards community programs.