Pike County News Watchman - Congressman Recognizes Pike County Bicentennial

News Article

By Matt Lucas

U.S. Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-2nd District) visited with the Pike County Commissioners and other local officials on Monday to present them with a proclamation that has been inserted into the Congressional Record honoring Pike County's bicentennial.

"(Pike County) has always been a gateway to the region and to the United States of America," Wenstrup said during the presentation. "I understand it's named after a gentleman named Zebulon Pike, who was a soldier and an explorer, and I think that his example probably carried over to the people in Pike County -- seeing his ambition and the things that he wanted to do. We saw this area so engaged in making the canal happen from the Ohio (River) to Lake Erie."

Wenstrup also mentioned that Pike County played a key role in the Civil War, both in being a part of the Underground Railroad and in aiding the Union cause. He then addressed the county's role during the Cold War, mentioning nuclear technology.

"(Pike County) responded to the nation's call when we said we need to advance and make sure that we're the leaders in the world in this area, and Pike County stepped up and made it happen, and we're all better for that ... To me this is the heart of America. Southern Ohio is the heart of America, and, of course, that includes Pike County -- where you have people who are willing and able to work and understand that work is a gift from God and is something that can help drive this nation."

Wenstrup also spoke of what he called "very distressing" news from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), referring to the budget shortfall in the decontamination and decommissioning project (D&D) at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Piketon and the potential layoffs associated with it.

Last week, Wenstrup and other members of the Ohio Congressional Delegation sent a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donavon expressing their concerns over the funding situation and requesting that the D&D project be funded at a level that preserves current employment.

"We all know that the revitalization of that area depends on this (D&D) getting done, and, as I mentioned before, this is a community of Americans who responded to the nation's call," Wenstrup said on Monday. "I think the nation has a responsibility, in kind, to this community to clean this up and allow the community to thrive in that area ... There are people waiting to be engaged in that area, and the holdup is now the Department of Energy."

Wenstrup urged residents to send personal letters to Secretary Moniz and the White House to let them know what the funding cuts and layoffs would mean to their families.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce is asking that residents show support for the families and workers on the D&D project by participating in a letter-writing campaign. The Chamber has a form letter that can be sent to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who is the Majority Leader of the Senate, asking for support in fully funding the project in the FY2016 Budget. For more information on this, contact the Chamber at its office at 12455 state Route 104, Waverly, or call 740-947-7715.

A town hall meeting to discuss D&D funding issues at the Piketon plant will be held at the Pike County Government Center in Waverly on September 9 at 6 p.m.

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