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The Castle receives $135K for roof replacement, restoration projects

A small crowd sits in front of the summer kitchen at The Castle Historic House Museum Tuesday afternoon during a ceremony where the museum was presented $130,000 in state funding for capital projects and $5,000 from the Marietta Community Foundation to help with a project that will replace the slate roof on the museum’s carriage house, summer kitchen and garage; the downspouts and gutters on all the museum’s buildings; and to restore the cupola on the carriage house. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

MARIETTA — The Castle Historic House Museum received a total of $135,000 Tuesday afternoon to help with roof and other repairs.

The Castle held a ceremony during which the museum was presented with a check for $130,000 by state Sen. Brian Chavez and state Rep. Brian Chavez and a check for $5,000 by the Marietta Community Foundation.

The $130,000 is from the state of Ohio and is part of the $1.86 million that Washington County received as part of the state’s two-year construction budget for capital projects, according to a release from The Castle.

“The state of Ohio gave us a grant for $130,000 to replace our historic slate roof that needs upgraded, also doing repairs on our cupola and restoring and putting new downspouts and gutters, restoring them back to the old original looking historic gutters,” Scott Britton, The Castle executive director, said.

The roof will be replaced over the carriage house, summer kitchen and garage using hand-cut slate from Vermont, he said.

Wes Clark, manager and co-chair of The Castle Historic House Museum Collections Manager and Fundraising Committee, respectively, left, and Castle Executive Director Scott Britton, center, pose with Marietta Community Foundation Operations and Donor Services Director Britani Merritt, right, and a check for $5,000 Tuesday afternoon. The foundation gave The Castle the funds to help with a project to replace the slate roof on the museum’s carriage house, summer kitchen and garage; the downspouts and gutters on all the museum’s buildings; and to restore the cupola on the carriage house. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

He also said restoring the gutters will make The Castle look more historic “and just make it a better organization all around to make it more of a tourist destination and continue what we’ve been doing over the last 30 years.”

The grant from the state is a matching grant, so The Castle will be fundraising for $60,000 for the project and the ceremony Tuesday was a kickoff for that campaign, according to Britton.

This is going to be the last of big projects at The Castle, Britton said.

“This is going to be concentrating specifically on the last of the major structural issues that we have to deal with to make it a firm foundation and firm roof on the entire facility,” he said.

The contractor will be Heartland Construction, who did a roof replacement project on the main brick structure in 2018, Britton said.

State Sen. Brian Chavez, left, and state Rep. Don Jones, right, help Scott Britton, The Castle Historic House Museum executive director, center, hold a check for $130,000 Tuesday afternoon. The money was awarded to the museum as part of $1.86 million in funding from the state’s two-year construction budget for capital projects in Washington County. The museum will use the money to help pay for a project to replace the slate roof on the museum’s carriage house, summer kitchen and garage; the downspouts and gutters on all the museum’s buildings and to restore the cupola on the carriage house. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

Jones said during the ceremony that he and Chavez were fortunate that their districts “got as many dollars as we did.” he said.

“We got a lot of requests,” he said.

He said a lot of projects didn’t have local support or a match and “when you have local support … that’s really important.” He said he is “proud to be a part of this” and that because of redistricting he will not have Washington County next year and “I’m going to miss you.”

He congratulated The Castle on the $130,000 and said thank you “for all the work you have done in Marietta.”

Chavez said after the ceremony that “Marietta is so rich in history and culture” Maretta is where the United States jumped off from from the original 13 colonies, he said.

The carriage house at The Castle Historic House Museum sits in the late afternoon sunshine Tuesday afternoon. The museum received $130,00 in state funds for capital projects and $5,000 from the Marietta Community foundation to help replace the slate roof on the museum’s carriage house, summer kitchen and garage; the downspouts and gutters on all the museum’s buildings; and to restore the cupola on the carriage house. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

“We need to understand what brought the original pioneers here and how they were able to thrive and flourish,” he said. “This project obviously was already up and going. It was going to be a good addition to the project, which is going to be a good edition to the community. When we looked at the projects we funded we were looking for opportunities to grow communities, help spend the state’s dollar wisely and get the most bang for the buck and this one was really a good project.”

Marietta Community Foundation Operations and Donor Services Director Britani Merritt presented the $5,000 check during the ceremony. The foundation is “very excited” to donate the money, she said.

“We’re very proud to support this project” and they are “very pleased to be a part of it,” Merritt said. The project is in line with the foundation’s mission, part of which is to strengthen and preserve history, she said..

Brittion thanked Chavez and Jones for their help getting the funding and he thanked The Castle staff, volunteers and board members.

He said he hopes to have the $60,000 raised over the fall and winter and to start the project early next year.

“This project will help tell Marietta’s story, our Mid-Ohio Valley community story for many years to come,” Britton said.

Learn more about The Castle and learn how to support its fundraising campaign at mariettacastle.org.

Michelle Dilon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com

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