The Fayette County Economic and Cultural Revitalization Committee met with their OSU counterparts last week to discuss the next step in the collaborative grant process.

Facilitating the committee are Godwin Apaliyah, county economic development director, and professor Sonia Manjon from The Ohio State University along with OSU undergraduates and graduates.

Individuals representing the City of Washington C.H., the county, private business, youth groups, the arts and the historical arena, along with graduates and undergraduates from OSU, are meeting regularly to develop a community collaborative that will enable Fayette County towns and villages to stimulate economic development using art and culture as a foundation of economic growth.

The committee will be looking into retention of existing businesses and attracting new business to the downtowns in the county. They will also look into activities such as community murals, art and cultural activities such as festivals, celebrations and historic tours as ways of creating Fayette County as a “destination” site.

To date, there are a number of large entities on board with this collaborative. The committee will be visible at many upcoming community events, and upcoming activities and meetings will be listed in the Local Briefs of the Record Herald newspaper.

If you would like to join in this process or if you would like more information about this initiative, call Godwin Apaliyah at 740-636-2354 or e-mail him at [email protected]