PORTSMOUTH- There’s an energy for development happening in southern Ohio.

The director of the Ohio Department of Development, Lydia Mihalik, was in Portsmouth this week to visit the Southern Ohio Museum. The museum was recently awarded an Ohio Arts Economic Relief Grant in the amount of $48,764.80.

Scioto County Commissioner Scottie Powell was there and reported back to fellow commissioners and the public at the June 1 meeting.

The museum is in the midst of a renovation project that involves tearing down the former Richard Noggins pub building on the Roy Rogers Esplanade on Gallia Street. The work could be seen from the street this week as crews are working to bring down the building with heavy equipment. The space will be home to another structure to be used for more gallery and event space.

“That is a great project for the museum,” Powell said. “They’re bringing that building down and doing a multimillion-dollar expansion to be able to put more of their items on display for the public to enjoy.”

With a multi-county partnership involving indigenous moundworks in southern Ohio, it ties in with mounting energies aimed at cohesive development.

“That’s happening,” Powell said. “They have a great collection of artifacts there; not just for that, but for some of their other collections, too.”