$1.2 Million for Business Incubator

The dream of turning the former Maysville Junior High School into a business incubator is becoming a reality.

The Ohio Department of Development is awarding more than $3.2 million in grants from stimulus money to Southeast Ohio. $1.2 million of that is going to the Muskingum County Business Incubator to help make the building more energy efficient.

"This is an energy efficient grant which will help put on insulation and windows and improve the school and new heating and air conditioning system to make the school useable for new clients to come into so it is great," says Commissioner Brian Hill.

Commissioner Hill says it may take a year to renovate the school, but once completed it will serve a nine county area. State Senator Jimmy Stewart says it is a fantastic opportunity for jobs in the county and the region.

"What it goes back to is creating jobs and the only way we are going to get our economic recovery going whether in Muskingum county or Ohio is job creation and it is not going to come from the large employers, it is going to come from the small start ups, the start ups we are seeing fostered at these business incubators like this one," says State Senator Stewart (R-Albany).

Stewart says by making the building energy efficient it will save money for the incubator in the long run and train future business owners on how to implement similar energy saving strategies.