Ohio Department of Development Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel has announced that three Ohio communities, including Urbana, and one company received the Director's Award for Excellence in Housing and Community Development for effectively implementing programs that benefit low- and moderate-income citizens and fostering public/private partnerships. The awards were presented during a ceremony Wednesday at the Ohio Conference of Community Development Annual Meeting luncheon in Worthington.
The city of Urbana, which received a $500,000 Community Housing Improvement Program grant in Fiscal Year 2007, was recognized for its project to rehabilitate six owner-occupied homes, repair 13 owner-occupied homes and, with assistance from Residential Administrators Inc., repair six rental units for occupancy by low- and moderate-income people with mental health issues. The apartment building, located at 221 W. Court St., is owned and operated by Residential Administrators. The $597,700 project leveraged $97,700 in additional funds.
Ottawa County was honored for its successful partnership with the Izach Corporation. In June 2008, the county received a $199,900 Ohio Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Economic Development Program grant to help Izach Corporation re-open Rayz Café, located at 608 Main St. in the village of Genoa. These funds, coupled with Ottawa County Revolving Loan Fund dollars, were used to construct a 4,000-square-foot building following a fire that destroyed the original structure. Additional funding for the project was provided by the restaurant's owner and Genoa Bank. The $722,290 project created approximately 20 jobs.
The village of Waterville in Lucas County was honored for the implementation of a $400,000 Fiscal Year 2006 Comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Tier Two Program award. With the grant funds, the village helped eight business owners complete building code improvements and 19 business owners improve building facades in the central business district. In addition, the village added trees, benches, street lights, planters and a restroom and upgraded several traffic signals and a parking lot.
"These award recipients have shown strong leadership and success in utilizing grant funds to significantly impact their communities," Patt-McDaniel said. "All of these projects have improved community spirit and are great examples of the positive outcomes of targeted investments."
