Monroe County, Ohio’s extension office has had a busy 2019, with plans in the works for 2020.

Extension Office Associate Mary Jo Westfall is anticipating Community Development Block Grant funding next year.

“I’ll be working with commissioners to apply for some more CDBG funds,” she said. “Probably March we’ll have our first public hearing.”

She said $150,000 is available through CDBG’s allocation program.

“That’s the money the commissioners get every year,” she said. “The commissioners can choose up to four projects to do, and they’ll make that selection the spring next year.”

Ken Stewart, program assistant, also thanked the electorate for passing a five year 0.7-mill renewal levy. The levy passed by about 74 percent, with 2,423 voters in favor to 833 opposed.

“We can thank the voters for that,” he said. “We’ll continue programs such as 4-H.”

Stewart said the office’s work includes reaching out to the elementary schools with the Botvin LifeSkills Training, named after Gilbert Botvin, Ph.d.

“Basically it’s to teach seventh graders,” he said, adding the office was working with Woodsfield Elementary and Skyview Elementary. Among the chief objectives is to help discourage drug use.

“It involves 72 students and it helps them make better decisions and informed choices, and give them true statistics about smoking and alcohol and drug use, because a lot of times peer pressure is ‘everybody’s doing it,’ when you find out that it’s seven percent of the people your age are doing it, that doesn’t sound like everybody.”

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