The Lawrence County Commission gave its blessing to a deaf studies class at Ohio University Southern at its regular meeting Thursday and began discussions of potential projects

for Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission funding at a meeting that followed.

In a letter to OUS dean, Dr. Dan Evans, commissioners said the two-year associate's degree program in Deaf Studies and Interpreting "would greatly benefit the deaf and hard of hearing population in our area."

"To me, this is a very good program," Commissioner George Patterson said. "We certainly support that."

Commissioner Doug Malone was appointed local OVRDC caucus chairman, while Ralph Kline, assistant director of the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization, was reappointed to serve on the OVRDC revolving loan committee.

At the OVRDC first-of-the-year organizational meeting afterward, local members discussed what local projects they may seek funding for in the coming year. Patterson said he would like to see local officials seek funding to extend water service to unserved areas of the county.

"We have a lot of people in this county that do not have water service," Patterson said. "It is a quality of life issue."

Patterson said in the near future, local OVRDC leaders will sit down and prioritize local projects for which they would like to seek funding. Other proposed projects that may be discussed for possible funding are the downtown Ironton motel development and the proposed RiverWalk development in the eastern end of the county.