Master gardening classes and 4-H could soon be a thing of the past in Hamilton County. The Ohio State University Extension office which runs the programs says it can't find new funding and will shut down at the end of the year. Extension Director Tonya Horvath says she's sad but hasn't given up.
"Instead of looking at the county for funding which is what we're supposed to do - the way Extension has been laid out, looking for the county dollars to support us - now we're looking for that citizen funding. It's a little bit different. We're going to be reaching out to people and saying, 'if you want this, this is what you've got to do.'"
The Extension office is currently funded through the Metropolitan Sewer District. That agency is facing major budget cuts and says it no longer needs Extension services, nor can it afford them.
The Extension has 13 employees and a $400,000 annual budget.
