Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Belmont County tourism director: ‘2026 is going to be a historic year’; Wall That Heals exhibit and $3.9M grant announced
Summary
Jackee Pugh told commissioners that Belmont County has a busy 2026 planned, citing a $3.9 million Ohio Department of Development grant (with $1 million directed to an Underground Railroad project), a $115,000 GAP grant awards pool and the Wall That Heals Vietnam memorial exhibit arriving in October.
Jackee Pugh, executive director of the Belmont County Tourism Council, told the Board of Commissioners on March 11 that 2026 promises to be a busy year for county tourism efforts.
"I’ve been busier than ever, because 2026 is going to be a historic year for Belmont County," Pugh said. She described several initiatives and funding items: a GAP grant program with $115,000 to award to projects in 2026; the Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that will be displayed in Belmont County in October and includes nearly 60,000 names; and a $3.9 million grant awarded through the Ohio Department of Development intended to support an Underground Railroad project (the minutes say $1 million of that grant is allocated to the Underground Railroad work, with the balance toward building renovations). Pugh also said the Underground Railroad museum collection is being moved from Flushing to the Black Horse Inn in Morristown, and that the Village of Morristown received an Amler grant to renovate a second-floor space into a bed-and-breakfast.
Pugh emphasized Tourism's supporting role—she said the office is supporting multiple community projects and is not the primary event planner for the America 250 celebration and the county’s 225th anniversary events. The minutes record no formal county appropriation tied directly to these tourism items at the March 11 meeting.
