Governor DeWine Announces $10.6 Million in Support for Community Development, Improvement Projects

This press release below was issued a few days ago by the Governor’s office. It announced that 51 communities, including Crawford County, were awarded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. Crawford County will be receiving $220,000 in funding for two projects. We confirmed yesterday with our state contact that we did receive the funding, as we had not yet heard here at the local level, and we are pleased that we will be receiving these funds. 

We extend our appreciation to the Crawford County Commissioners; our many local government and nonprofit partners; Governor Mike DeWine; Lydia Mihalik, Director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD); and the many dedicated staff at ODOD who have been working with us. We also thank our consultant partners at CDC of Ohio, Mary Oakley and John Cleek. 

As you may recall, in March the Partnership won the contract to administer the County’s CDBG funding and launched an intensive innovative promotion and engagement campaign that resulted in 116 project ideas for consideration. Out of that 14 projects were qualified as CDBG-eligible, and the Commissioners selected the Tiro Water Street Bridge replacement project and Galion Charles Street Sewer Connection project to receive funding in this round, with the Golden Gems Senior Center in New Washington as an alternate. 

The Partnership is committed to promoting community development and looks forward to working through the process of seeing these projects completed in 2024.

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Funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Allocation Program, this funding will assist communities in completing a variety of infrastructure improvements and public services aimed at spurring economic growth and improving the quality of life for residents.

“With every investment we make in our communities’ infrastructure, we’re planting seeds of prosperity that will bear fruit for years to come,” said Governor DeWine. “This funding will not only fuel economic growth by creating jobs and attracting outside investment, but it will also greatly improve the quality of life for Ohioans in some of our most underserved areas.”

“Ohio is experiencing unprecedented economic growth, and in order to continue to attract new companies, the infrastructure in our communities needs to be up to date,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “These grants will help communities across the state prepare to attract those looking to build and expand into Ohio, creating new jobs and improving the quality of life for all Ohioans.”

DETAILS: Complete List of CDBG Award Recipients and Allocation Amounts

Projects that may be funded through this program can include street repairs, sidewalk improvements, parks and recreation facilities, water and sewer line replacements, and community centers. Public service projects can include funding for programs such as Meals on Wheels, health and wellness, and housing and homelessness assistance.

“If you look at all the economic success stories we’ve celebrated these past four years, few of them would have ever been possible if not for projects like these,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Department of Development. “Companies looking to invest in Ohio see these types of improvements as a community’s investment in itself and its future. We’re proud to support that.”

Cities and counties considered U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) non-entitlement communities are eligible to apply for Allocation Program funds biannually. Ohio’s 101 eligible communities are divided between even and odd years of funding, with 51 communities receiving a total of $10,654,000 for 2023.