The announcement was made in Portsmouth today by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik. The announcement was attended by Ripley Mayor Travis Arnett, Village Administrator Wayne Gates and Consultant Doug McDonald.

The grant will be used to allow better access to nearby Underground Railroad and historic sites and to construct a new public gathering space to improve public access to the scenic riverfront. Ripley already has $2.9 million dollars in hand to build a new recreational boat dock, which is in the design phase. Construction is expected to start later this year. Combined with the AGCP grant announced today, the total state investment in Ripley is nearly twenty million dollars.

“We could not be more pleased and we are very grateful to Governor DeWine and everyone else involved at the state level that saw fit to award us this grant,” said Ripley Mayor Travis Arnett. “We are looking forward to showcasing our historical assets and our new beautiful downtown and riverfront. We invite everyone to come see us and take a look for themselves when it’s complete.”

We will share more details with everyone as they become available. This grant money is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change Ripley in a positive way. The village would like to thank Doug McDonald for all of his work during the grant process.