LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES THAT THE VILLAGE OF SUGARCREEK TO RECEIVE $15,000 TO HELP PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2005

Columbus, OH -- Lieutenant Governor Bruce Johnson today announced that the Village of Sugarcreek, located in Tuscarawas County, will receive a $15,000 grant to plan for downtown development. The grant will be awarded through the Comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Tier One Program, administered by the Ohio Department of Development.

"This grant will help the Village of Sugarcreek in planning for future downtown growth,” said Johnson, who also serves as State Development Director. “Downtown development is a key component to improving the economic vitality of a community.”

With the assistance of a local steering committee, stakeholders and citizens, the Village will use the funds to develop revitalization, financial and implementation plans for the downtown area. The plans will include a summary of the downtown's infrastructure and economic needs, a cost analysis for addressing those needs and a schedule for phased redevelopment.

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.