City and state officials celebrated the ribbon‑cutting for the refurbished Athens Armory at a public ceremony that highlighted the building’s history, the mix of funding that paid for the renovation and how the space will be used going forward. The restored 1916 armory is owned by the Athens Community Improvement Corporation and will be operated in part by local nonprofit Blue Dot, with the Athens County Foundation taking a permanent office in the building, officials said.

At the ceremony, Andy Stone, service safety director for the city of Athens and secretary of the Athens Community Improvement Corporation, said the project required “8 different funding sources” and intensive paperwork: “We have an Excel financial tracker spreadsheet that has over 20 tabs with over 10,000 cells populated with bits of information as we've tried to deliver this.” Stone listed the prime contractors, preservation architects and local subcontractors who completed the work and invited the public to an open house scheduled for 3:30–6 p.m. the same day.

Why it matters: The armory served the Ohio National Guard and the Athens community for decades and then fell into disrepair before the city purchased it in 1997. Officials said the renovation preserves the site’s military and civic history while creating coworking, event and exhibition space that city leaders and state economic‑development programs view as transformational for downtown Athens.

Funding and partners

John Carey, director of the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, said the project was partly funded through the Appalachian Communities Development Grant Program and that the program is governed by House Bill 377 and federal American Rescue Plan Act guidance. “Our part was $3,300,000,” Carey said of his office’s contribution, and he described the state program as one component of a larger, locally driven package. Carey said the Appalachian initiative was created after state leaders proposed a $500 million investment for the region and emphasized the program’s local‑planning focus.

Terry Slabaugh, vice president for sites and infrastructure at JobsOhio, described JobsOhio’s Vibrant Communities Fund as another source of support. Slabaugh said JobsOhio’s program has funded about 40 projects and “we've deployed about $43,000,000 throughout the state,” and that Vibrant Communities made up roughly 17% of the armory funding. Other named partners at the ceremony included the Ohio Department of Development, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, JobsOhio’s regional network partner Ohio Southeast, Sunday Creek Horizons and the Athens County Economic Development Council.

Use, operations and public access

Stone and Mayor Steve Patterson said Blue Dot will operate shared coworking and event spaces; Blue Dot’s director, Sadie Mead, was identified at the ceremony as the on‑site manager. The Athens County Foundation will maintain a permanent office in the building and, Patterson said, will be open after 4 p.m. on weekdays for public access. Stone said parts of the building with historical displays will remain open to the public at least part of each week, and he invited residents to the public open house that afternoon.

Ceremony announcements and history

Mayor Steve Patterson announced a ceremonial dedication: the assembly space will be named the Logeville Great Hall in honor of the late Paul Logue, the mayor said. The ceremony included a presentation of colors by the Ohio University Army ROTC color guard and remarks from Colonel John Stewart of the Ohio National Guard, who praised the refurbishment and the armory’s role in community and military service.

Next steps and grant timeline

Officials emphasized the administrative complexity of closing multiple grants and that the project team must provide documentation to several state and federal partners. John Carey and others noted a state deadline tied to grant spending that will require final reporting and closeout work; Carey said the Appalachian program expects to wrap up by October 2026. Stone asked for patience from state and federal partners as the city finishes paperwork and closeout tasks.

The public can tour the building at the scheduled open house; the Athens Community Improvement Corporation will retain ownership and Blue Dot will manage daily operations and rentals for events and coworking.