CARROLLTON, Ohio — The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce honored seven area businesses and a couple who have donated their time to support the Carroll County Fair during the chamber’s annual banquet at Atwood Yacht Club April 12.
President’s Award
Chamber board president Tait Carter recognized Ray and Ronda Rummell of Sherrodsville with the President’s Award for their service to the Carroll County Fair and the community.
The Rummells became involved with the Carroll County Fair and served as 4-H advisers while raising their three children. The couple has continued to be heavily involved in various activities and aspects of the fair and the 4-H program.
Ray currently serves on at least eight committees for fair-related matters and is junior fair coordinator for the senior fair board. He and Ronda were instrumental in founding the Junior Fair Facilities Improvement Committee and serve as chairman and secretary, respectively.
Investments
The chamber also recognized seven members who have made capital investments of more than $50,000 in their businesses and by doing so invested in Carroll County.
The chamber presented Golden Shovel Awards to Burik Chiropractic, Camp Roosevelt/Firebird, Carroll Electric Cooperative, Centreville Village of Carroll County, Lil’ Brown Dog Cafe, Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District-Atwood Lake Park and Ohio FFA Camp Muskingum.
Dr. Doug Burik of Burik Chiropractic built a new 5,280-foot building in Carrollton at a cost of $780,000.
In 2017, Centreville Village of Carroll County, an assisted-living facility, added four new suites with sitting areas to better serve couples who wanted to live together. The project cost around $450,000.
Power
Carroll Electric Cooperative worked with Buckeye Power Inc. to build a solar array with 152 panels in Sherrodsville, which is expected to produce 60,800 kilowatt hours (KW) of renewable energy per year and cost $108,901.
The solar array has generated more than 17,000 KW hours of electricity since it began producing energy in late August and has offset of 25,782 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions.
Cafe
It took approximately $55,000 and six months to transform a 1,200-square-foot storefront in downtown Carrollton into Lil’ Brown Dog Cafe. An additional $15,000 was spent on new bakery equipment.
The cafe employs seven part-time employees, including four from the Carroll County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Carroll Hills Industries.
Camp
Joe Mendes has invested more than $60,000 in Camp Roosevelt/Firebird, a residential summer camp. The camp repaired its sewer system and waste disposal plant with the assistance of a $26,000 grant from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District; repaired and improved the water system, buildings and more. The camp increased from 43 campers in 2015 to 143 in 2017 and has created five part-time seasonal jobs and a head caretaker position.
The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District recently constructed a new transient campground near the amphitheater at Atwood Lake Park for $7.6 million.
The project included 143 new full-hookup RV campsites, a new restroom-shower house, a picnic shelter, playground area and abutments for four new cluster docks.
The Ohio FFA Camp Muskingum, a nonprofit, year-round camp located on Leesville Lake, opened a $2.4 million Muskingum Discovery Center in 2017. The 9,500-square-foot facility houses a Nature Center, which includes a lobby area, restrooms and warming kitchen, and the Grand Hall, which includes a handicapped-accessible stage, seating for 311 in chairs and more than 200 at tables.
