Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 377 into law this summer, providing “$500 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)” for transformative projects in Ohio’s 32 counties in the Appalachian region, The Daily Record reports. Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA) Executive Director Jeannette Wierzbicki said the program is not for “individual community development projects” but rather “projects that are transformative” or projects that partner with adjacent counties “to make a lasting difference for generations to come,” according to the article. Wierzbicki said the three primary areas the grants target are “Main Street or downtown redevelopment,” “workforce development such as public-private partnerships designed to build and coordinate technical, educational, clinical and workforce infrastructure,” and health care, especially investments in school or community-based services to address children’s physical and behavorial health needs.” For more, read the full article.
$500M in Ohio Appalachian grants provides “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity
