ROCK SPRINGS — Yesterday’s town hall meeting hosted by Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District and Area Agency on Aging 8, highlighted some of the county’s best kept secrets when it comes to resources available to those in need.

For example, for those disabled residents who qualify, a group of volunteers from God’s Hands which works with the Meigs Cooperative Parish, located at the Mulberry Community Center, can build handicapped accessible ramps. Call Nancy Thoene at 992-7400 for more information.

In addition, the USDA Rural Development field office out of Marietta also offers grants and loans for home repairs needed for handicapped accessible modifications. This allows residents to stay in their homes as long as possible and is a federally funded program.

Another USDA Rural Development program allows a qualifying family of three to four people who have an income of $25,000 to purchase an existing home, a home they want to build or a manufactured home. The program has other income guidelines and the house payments are subsidized.

The USDA Rural Development field office also has several programs assisting rural communities, such as those in Meigs County, with funding for waste water improvements, funding for other infrastructure needs, commercial facilities, funding for some food pantry needs, small loans for businesses and information on how to do a business plan. For more information about any of these programs call the Marietta office at 740-373-7113, ext. 4.

The University of Rio Grande Meigs Center also has a program where those Ohio residents who are 60 or older can take classes at the center without paying tuition. Residents pay an institutional fee which amounts to around $14 per credit hour class with the majority of classes being three credit hours. The center offers a variety of classes and can be reached at 992-1880.

Yesterday’s meeting held at the Meigs Rio Center resulted in discussions on services to seniors, health care concerns, community and infrastructure needs. Those attending the meeting brought up the following specific areas of concern in Meigs County:

Access to broadband Internet service, trash removal in the county, animal control / spay and neuter programs, zoning enforcement, lack of transportation for senior citizens, lack of public knowledge concerning enforcement of laws, becoming more prepared for emergency situations.

Also announced at the meeting, Buckeye Hills is initiating a GPS program which will map out senior citizens who live in rural areas and who may be most vulnerable during a weather-related or other emergency. Clients of the Passport program would be on the map with others not in current assistance programs being added in time at request. The information would only be shared with local Emergency Management Agency personnel.