WOODSFIELD — Monroe County commissioners were able to discuss some of the county’s current issues and ongoing projects during a recent meeting with a representative for Sen. JD Vance.

Bradley Kennedy, southeast district representative for Vance, met with Commissioners Mick Schumacher, Diane Burkhart and Bill Bolon earlier this month, and each spoke about some challenges the county faces such as lack of broadband, lack of water and sewer access for some, lack of transportation and the absence of a hospital and hotel within the county.

Kennedy said according to the Federal Communications Commissions’ broadband map, the majority of southeast Ohio is green, meaning it has “good enough coverage” and making the area ineligible for grant funds to improve broadband. However, according to third party data, the “vast majority” of the state has regions marked as red, meaning those regions would be eligible for grants to improve broadband.

Burkhart said another big issue is that many county residents do not have access to municipal water. Those residents instead must drill their own wells.

Kennedy requested a map indicating those residents lacking access, and commissioners said they would email him a copy. He said the more information he can obtain regarding issues in earlier stages, the easier a project is to get off the ground and grant funding can be obtained.

Burkhart said she is one of those residents who lacks water service. She added that sewer connections are also an issue for some residents.

Bolon mentioned problems with dispersing liquid natural gas from processing plants.

“I would like to see more LNG plants be able to ship the stuff. You can have all the gas in the world you want, but if you can’t get it out of here, there’s no use,” he said.

After some further discussion, Bolon asked if Vance was working on anything that would be of interest to the county.

Kennedy said Vance recently announced his committee assignments, which include Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Joint Economic Committee and the Special Committee on Aging.

Bolon said the Appalachian population is growing older, adding that services and transportation for those residents is needed.

Burkhart brought up her goal of installing an indoor pool geared toward senior citizens at the Generations Complex building.

“The benefit of being able to be in water and being able to move, it would be a wonderful thing to happen,” she said, adding that she is working to obtain around $3 million for the project.

Bolon also noted that the county is one of the few in the state that does not have a hospital or a hotel. He said the closest hospitals are roughly an hour away in each direction.

Kennedy said he grew up in a similar situation in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

After receiving an overview from commissioners, Kennedy said he would email each of them to provide his contact information and to obtain information pertaining to potential future projects.

Also, Cody Petitt, a representative from the Ohio Treasurer’s Office, met with commissioners and inquired what projects the county is working on.

Schumacher said they are working to restore the Knowlton Covered Bridge in Graysville and to install an auger screen on the jail’s sewer line. Burkhart added the barge cells project at the Powhatan No. 7 property.

Petitt said he is trying to get an idea of what types of projects counties are working on. He said the state treasurer’s office has the Ohio Market Access Program aimed at assisting with smaller projects.

“It’s basically an agreement that we back the debt that the county has. That’s only for a one-year note, so obviously it’s very limiting on what you can use it for. There are some smaller projects that might help you save a few dollars on the interest rate,” he said, adding that Belmont County refinanced a couple debt projects last year through the program, which helped save it around $2,000.

“Every little bit helps in county government, I find. It’s something to keep in mind, in the back of your head, as an option from our office.”