THREE OHIO COMMUNITIES TO RECEIVE GRANT MONEY TOTALING $170,000 TO HELP IMPROVE THEIR CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2004

Columbus, OH -- State Development Director Bruce Johnson today announced that three Ohio communities will receive grants totaling $170,000 to improve their central business districts. The grants will be awarded through the Comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Tier One Program and the Discretionary Grant Program. The Ohio Department of Development's Office of Housing and Community Partnerships administers both of the programs.

"Downtown revitalization is a key component of economic development across Ohio," said Johnson. "These three communities have demonstrated a local commitment to improving their central business districts and will serve as models for other communities around the state."

The Village of Bolivar, in Tuscarawas County, will receive a $5,000 grant to create a downtown revitalization and development plan.

The Village of Gibsonburg, in Sandusky County, will receive a $15,000 grant to create a downtown revitalization and development plan; conduct a market analysis of the downtown; develop a long-term strategic marketing plan; and establish architectural design review criteria and a mechanism for the enforcement and implementation of the criteria.

The City of Cambridge, in Guernsey County, will receive a $150,000 grant to help the Potter Davis Development Group purchase the Potter Davis Building, located in the city's central business district. The building, previously a department store, will be rehabilitated and converted to a multi-use commercial center.

The Comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Tier One Program provides funds to eligible communities to assist with the development of downtown revitalization planning documents. Applications are rated against the following criteria: adequacy and comprehensiveness; evidence that problems will be addressed by the proposed planning document; evidence that the plan will result in the development of a Comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Tier Two Program grant application; degree to which the planning document will result in downtown revitalization; and assurance that the proposed activities are reasonable.

The Discretionary Grant Program funds projects that do not fit within the structure of existing programs, or those projects that resolve immediate and unexpected needs. Applications are rated against the following criteria: project funds are not available from any other source; project is eligible and meets at least one of the Community Development Block Grant Program national objectives; and the funds are needed in order to make the project feasible.