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Scrap Tire Program Benefits Ironton Schools
By: Connor Briggs
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Old scrap tires in Southeast Ohio will soon have new life benefiting young athletes.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has awarded more $1.1 million dollars to fund 28 projects to assist in the clean-up of more than two million scrap tires in the state.
The Ironton City School District is one of the grant recipients.
Ironton Superintendent Dean Nance says the $150,000 awarded to the school district is a matching grant to help improve their athletic facilities.
"The grant itself was to actually use recycled tires and rubber products. And the grant was a matching grant, meaning that for every dollar we spent or raised, we got a matching dollar," said Nance.
Recycled tires can be made into useful products such as tire chips for outdoor tracks.
Nance says that replacing the track is the top priority for the grant money.
"Our track is in dire need of repair," said Nance. "In fact, we were told that if we don't resurface the track in the next two years, we may be starting from scratch."
Nance says that if there is any money left after replacing the track, the district would also like to replace the football field with artificial turf.
Other area organizations receiving funding from the same ODNR program include:
-Athens City/County Health Department, $15,000
-Vinton County Health Department, $20,000
-Hocking County Health Department, $20,000
-Ross/Pickaway/Highland/Fayette Joint Solid Waste Management Disctrict, $10,000