COAL GROVE — The Ohio Department of Commerce has more than $1 billion in its unclaimed funds division and Wednesday, a local school district cashed in on a bit of it.

David Goodman, director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, presented Dawson-Bryant Local Schools with a check for $1,105.69.

“We plan to use the money to support our high school student project that is compiling photos and documenting the stories of our proud community,” Superintendent Dennis Decamp said. “This research will lead to the creation of the area’s historical murals.”

High school history teacher Dean Mader presented the concept to the board of education last month. Called Project Paint the Walls, the murals would tell Coal Grove’s history in a visual way so the community and future generations will have a tangible account of a positive past. The murals would be placed in the high school in the cafeteria and stairwells where the walls are bare.

“Brad Miller, our assistant treasurer, is the person who found the unclaimed funds from the Ohio Department of Commerce,” Mader said. “Brad did all the leg work on getting the money, and David Goodman, the chairman for the Ohio Department of Commerce, contacted him and asked him what we were going to use the funds for. …

“He was blown away by our project. He said that he would love to help us out, and stated that he was going to contact the Ohio Historical Society when he got back to his office to encourage them to become involved with us.”

Mader said two hard drives and two mobile scanners have been purchased with the money. Mader also said he hoped to use the rest of the money to purchase one of the first murals or to help pay for field research.

Goodman commended the school district for initiating the claims process and claiming their funds.

“I encourage all Ohio school districts to follow the example of the Dawson-Bryant Local Schools in initiating and claiming their unclaimed funds,” he said. “We want to put this money back to work in our classrooms.”

School districts, other public agencies and individuals can regularly search the list of open unclaimed funds accounts at www.com.ohio.gov/unfd/TreasureHunt.aspx and claim their accounts.

For more information on Project Paint the Walls, visit http://db.k12.oh.us/Community.aspx.

Questions and information about the project can be sent to cghistory@db.k12.oh.us

 

Follow Michelle Goodman on Twitter: @Michelle_Journo