Slowly, some Irontonians are making progress in bringing our town back to life.  You should know that the Friends of Ironton (FOI) are at the forefront of that effort.

Under the leadership of Mr. Rick Jansen, the FOI have succeeded in creating the very popular spray park on South Second Street and have organized and managed the Rally on the River and the Gus Macker Tournament, both of which have required countless hours of hard work and determined effort on the part of a number of totally unpaid volunteers.

Additionally, the FOI work (dirty, tiresome and seemingly never-ending) on the Ro-Na restoration has been the only thing keeping that worthy project alive.

Bit by bit, the former theater has been cleaned out of truckloads of debris and secured.  Soon, with the help of some Community Development Block Grant funds, the windows will be replaced in a manner acceptable to historic preservation officials.

This was necessary in order to qualify for state and federal funding to help with the remaining restoration work.  Obtaining the approvals of plans and permits has been tedious and time-consuming, but the FOI effort has not flagged in their determination to see this project through.

This is my “up close and personal” observation over the more than two years since I returned home.

I strongly encourage you to support the Friends of Ironton with your thanks and support.  Merchants who have benefited and those who can afford it can send donations to Friends of Ironton, PO Box 448, Ironton OH 45638.

Any amount of your “investment in Ironton” will be deeply appreciated.

Those persons who can volunteer their time to assist the Friends in any way will be more than welcome.  Send your contact information to the address above.

You may rest assured your thanks will be appreciated and your donations put to good use for the benefit of you, the citizens of Ironton and the Tri-State region.

That the Friends of Ironton have been able to do so much in these hard economic times is a miracle.  With our help and encouragement they will continue.

 

Paul Woods is the chairman of the Ironton Port Authority.