Thalman Challenges Officials to Invest in Ohio Appalachia
(Publisher’s Note: This article is the third and final article in a series on Mayor Kathryn Thalman, her perspective on today’s St. Clairsville, and on the future of “Paradise on the Hill”.)
By Karen Fatula
St. Clairsville, Ohio – Natural beauty and economic opportunities abound in St. Clairsville, insists Mayor Kathryn Thalman. And she challenges federal and state government leaders like Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to take notice.
“I went to a Vivek Ramaswamy ‘Meet and Greet’ and I got up and I said, ‘I’m the mayor of St. Clairsville and I challenge you to bring industry back here. You’ll be in the position to do it, and we don’t want to be known as the Rust Belt. That’s gone away. We want to be a tech belt, but you get us the industry with the jobs that get benefits, good jobs, and I guarantee we will make you proud.’”
Thalman says the city has untapped economic potential but being considered as a business destination is tough when leaders focus their attention on big cities and overlook smaller communities.
“Some of the challenges I see are more of a state level. I want to see our area get more recognition and to get some [federal] bucks and some tax breaks for businesses that want to locate here. Unfortunately, in Columbus we have what we call the 3 C’s. Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati. The three C’s and that seems to be where so much attention is given.”
Thalman believes the Upper Ohio Valley could attract a variety of industries, especially in the technology sector. She noted that the proposed Intel chip plant in Newark, Ohio, could even benefit local residents since the plant could offer good jobs within driving distance of Belmont County.
She added that the proposed Belmont County cracker plant could still come to fruition.
“From what I’ve been told, it’s not off the table yet. It may still come, although I don’t know that it brings a plethora of jobs. I don’t know,” Thalman said.
The mayor credits the Trump Administration for efforts to promote American steel.
She’d also like to see pharmaceutical companies producing drugs in the United States rather than relying on imported medicines.
Appreciating the Beauty
Thalman said that she appreciates the natural splendor of Belmont County and the Upper Ohio Valley and believes we should promote this aspect of the area.
She said a “lifetime” trip she took to Switzerland in May inspired her to compare the beauty and functional infrastructure of that nation to this region. She asks why the Upper Ohio Valley cannot mirror the natural beauty and economic success of the Swiss.
“Our valley, we take it for granted here. It’s so beautiful. The hills, the trees, the mountains. We are beautiful. We need to re-use this river for recreation,” she said.
Thalman added that she often pauses to reflect, pray and thank God for the natural beauty of the area.
Preserving that beauty and forging opportunities for future generations is Thalman’s aim.
“We want to do what is right for this town. Not just for now, but for the future,” she said.
“We’re putting all the right pieces into place. We’ve got the infrastructure, we’re getting more recreation, we’ve got a hospital. We’ve got nice shopping. Just bring the jobs here. Bring them here and they will come,” Thalman concluded.
New Civic Center Recreation Building Announced
Recreation options are also expanding in St. Clairsville.
The St. Clairsville Parks and Recreation Department just announced plans for a new 20,000-square-foot recreation facility featuring four basketball courts, four volleyball courts, eight indoor pickleball courts, and outdoor and indoor restrooms.
Thalman said the new facility will be called a civic center and will be located behind the St. Clairsville Amphitheater. She said the facility is funded through a grant plus sponsorships from Unified Bank and other local donors.
“We have been blessed. We have a recreation center that was sponsored last year by Unified Bank. We completely redid a building down at the rec center which now has golf simulators, but we have another rec center coming and I think we are going to call it the civic center to make a differentiation.
“Unified Bank has graciously stepped in with a large commitment of sponsorship,” she explained. “We also have a lot of very wonderful local donors that I am not free to disclose right now, plus Eric Gay, who is our recreation director. He had the announcement that we got a very nice grant to put in this.”
Thalman said crews are conducting soil testing on the site now and she expects the groundbreaking to occur in January 2027 with an anticipated completion date of late Summer 2027.
“We’re looking at after the first of the year with groundbreaking and once that happens, I’m hoping that goes pretty fast and possibly that we would see this opening by late summer next year,” she said.
Unified Bank was also a sponsor of the Unified Bank Jr. Rec Center which opened in St. Clairsville in 2025. Unified Bank is developing a new operations center in the former Riesbeck’s St. Clairsville corporate headquarters.
Thalman said the new civic center will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) so that people with disabilities can access and use it. The mayor hopes to hold council meetings there.
“There will be a community building that will be ADA compliant, and that community building, we’re hoping, will be where we have our council meetings so if anyone wishes to come and attend, they won’t have to go up these steps.
“They can come in from ground level,” she said. “As well as other important community events would be able to occur in there.”
Council meetings are currently held in the Municipal Building and accessibility poses an issue to disabled persons due to its stairs.
Thalman added that another recreational gem in St. Clairsville is the National Road Bikeway, and the city recently partnered with the Ohio Department of Transportation on a rehabilitation of the trail’s railroad tunnel beneath U.S. 40.
New recreation and healthcare options are coming to St. Clairsville, and Thalman hopes politicians take notice of this progress and direct funding to the Belmont County to drive continued growth. Tourism, which can promote the area’s natural beauty, is another avenue she believes can benefit the community by shining a spotlight on the potential of “Paradise on the Hill”.
Thalman’s vision for St. Clairsville may be optimistic, and her challenge to government leaders to invest in the area is certainly bold, but St. Clairsville’s story is still being written. The new infrastructure, the city’s natural resources, and the strong sense of community are attributes that can help make “St. C’s” story a successful one.
