By Spencer Hunt
Enquirer Columbus Bureau

The Promont Home Museum, former home of Ohio's 43rd governor, in Milford will get $200,000 for repairs. (Enquirer file photo) | ZOOM |

COLUMBUS - Where do you find the politics in a $1.27 billion state construction budget?

Look at Evendale, where Republican Senate President Richard Finan finagled a $1.6 million deal to transform an old village school into a Cincinnati Museum Center satellite.

Take a gander at North Bend, where State Rep. Bill Seitz carved out $149,500 to help spruce up the William Henry Harrison tomb monument.

There's also Milford, where State Rep. Jean Schmidt wangled $200,000 to fix up the historic Promont Home Museum. Did you know it's the former home of Ohio's 43rd governor, John Pattison?

When the state's pork barrel is open, even Ohio's penny-pinching, budget-slashing conservatives can't resist spending money on their pet interests. Just don't call these projects pork. They are community projects.

"It's historic preservation," said Mr. Seitz, a Republican who can recite President Harrison's lengthy political resume from memory. "I think that's a very reasonable expense."

An estimated $87 million in spending for community projects can be found laced throughout the state's two-year, $1.27 billion capital budget, now on a fast track in the Ohio General Assembly. House lawmakers approved the plan 93-3 Wednesday and the Senate is expected to quickly follow suit.

Greater Cincinnati's share of the state construction budget amounts to $88.4 million, much of which will be spent to help improve public universities and other state institutions.

INFOGRAPHIC

• Projects for Greater Cincinnati

Of that amount, $18.8 million will go to a handful of local governments and private groups that worked with lawmakers and legislative leaders to get a slice of the budget plan for their projects. The largest amount, $10 million, is earmarked to help build the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, part of the new downtown Reds and Bengals stadium complex. County Administrator Dave Krings had asked for $24 million for stadium work.

Mr. Krings said the county will make do. "Well, we're going to have to," he said. He said he'll ask for the remaining $14 million two years from now.

One of the more interesting community projects involves the Cincinnati Museum Center. Center officials filed a $3 million request with lawmakers that included plans to build an Evendale museum that would "celebrate the history of the Mill Creek Valley."

Evendale also happens to be Senate President Finan's hometown.

"This is an old historical building that I saved from becoming a Shell auto service station in 1969 or 1970," Mr. Finan said proudly, referring to a time when he was the village mayor. "It's had various uses since then. It's vacant now."

Douglass McDonald, the museum center director, said the Evendale project will go ahead, though the $1.6 million from the state is much less than the $3 million requested.

Some of the money will also be spent to make room in the Cincinnati Museum for new exhibits from the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Vatican next year.

Mr. Douglass wouldn't say whether the Evendale project helped win the money for his other exhibits. Village official Bill Covell said Evendale wouldn't have a museum in the works if Mr. Finan weren't the Senate president. "No," he said. "I only look dumb."

Other lawmakers gushed about the money they won for their communities.

"An old home like Promont is always in need of money to pay for maintenance and repairs," said Ms. Schmidt, a Republican, of the Victorian home in Milford. "I was surprised that I was able to get this. The people (at Promont House) were just ecstatic."

State Rep. Greg Jolivette, R-Hamilton, said the $100,000 that Fairfield city officials will spend on an outdoor theater project is well worth it to taxpayers.

The money will be spent on a feasibility study to see whether there is a market for summer dramas in Butler County.

"This outdoor theater could be a tremendous tourist draw," Mr. Jolivette said. "People could come from all over the Tristate to see its productions."

The last construction budget, effective in July 2001, was $1.8 billion. This year's smaller budget reflects declining state revenues.

E-mail shunt@enquirer.com