Lorain County holds public hearing on FY25 CDBG and CHIP funding; staff recommends Sheffield Lake sewer and Neighborhood Alliance service funding

At a May 15 public hearing of the Lorain County Board of Commissioners, county staff reviewed FY25 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation requests, Critical Infrastructure grant applications and the upcoming CHIP (Community Housing Impact and Preservation) application process, and said staff will publish recommendations and return for a subsequent public hearing.

Garvin, a county staff member who presented the funding overview, said, "ODUD is awarding Lorain County 6 Hundred And 40 8 Thousand Dollars for our allocation grant, CDBG allocation." He told commissioners the department would recommend funding a Sheffield Lake sewer-line improvement project and expects North Ridgeville to receive its state-dedicated allocation.

The presentation matters because CDBG and CHIP dollars pay for both infrastructure and limited public services across the county; decisions will affect sewer and water projects, street paving, playground and senior-meal services in several communities.

County staff listed five requests for the $648,000 allocation: the city of Oberlin requested $150,000 for a splash pad at Park Street Park (total project $514,000 with a restroom, $314,000 without); Sheffield Lake requested $250,000 for sewer-line improvements and street paving on East Drive (phase cost $738,000); the Neighborhood Alliance requested $50,000 for a courtyard playground at the Haven Center (staff said this qualifies under CDBG's limited-clientele rules; total project $160,000); North Ridgeville has a state-designated dedicated allocation of $150,000 for phase 1 of a waterline replacement project (phase cost $468,900); and Meals on Wheels (operated by Neighborhood Alliance) was identified under public-service funding and, at the program cap of 15%, would equal $97,200.

Staff noted the grant carries a 20% administrative set-aside, calculated at about $129,000, and that part of those admin dollars fund fair-housing work contracted to the Fair Housing Center of Cleveland. Garvin said the county may need to ‘‘juggle some things around a little bit’’ within the admin portion if outside leverage funding is not available.

Garvin explained allocation limits set by the Ohio Department of Development (ODD) rules: outside of North Ridgeville's dedicated funding, the county can fund only three allocation projects from the remaining balance once admin and any assumed public-service funding are removed. Using the department's math, after admin and North Ridgeville's $150,000 are subtracted, roughly $300,000 remains for the county's allocation pot to cover the remaining projects.

On staff recommendations, Garvin said the department will not recommend allocation funds for Oberlin's splash pad but will "recommend another source of funding to them, which will be the Ohio Department of Natural Resources," and will recommend funding Sheffield Lake's sewer-line improvement and the Neighborhood Alliance request, while North Ridgeville's dedicated funds remain set aside. He added the county would point Oberlin to ODNR programs rather than leave the city without alternatives.

On critical-infrastructure applications (a separate but related state program), staff said North Ridgeville has applied for the program's $500,000 maximum for phases 2 and 3 of a neighborhood project (total neighborhood cost cited as $1,380,000). Sheffield Lake also applied for $250,000 under the critical-infrastructure program for a larger neighborhood rehabilitation that staff placed at roughly $2,500,000. Garvin described the critical-infrastructure competition as statewide and competitive.

Elyria Township representatives delivered recently completed surveys to the county for an area being evaluated for sewer mainline work; staff said those surveys must go to the state for area-qualification determinations before the county can seek funds to help low- and moderate-income residents connect laterals to new mains.

On CHIP (the county's housing-repair program), Garvin said Kleinfelder (the consultant) is preparing the application and the county is eligible for $1,600,000. Staff said the department's historic strength with CHIP has been repair and renovation programs and that specific recommendations will come after the housing advisory committee and consultant complete their work.

No final allocations were made at the May 15 hearing. Garvin told commissioners the department will publish its recommendations and hold another public hearing (the department scheduled a follow-up hearing for May 23) and that the county aims to have the necessary resolution ready "hopefully on the third, if not by the sixth," so the board can finalize allocations.

The hearing included questions from commissioners about the tradeoffs between funding perennial public-service programs (Meals on Wheels) and one-time infrastructure projects; staff reiterated CDBG rules permit public services up to 15% of allocation but that funding public services is discretionary. Garvin said Neighborhood Alliance has operated Meals on Wheels in recent cycles after the county's office on aging stepped back and that Neighborhood Alliance reported established procedures and per-meal cost tracking.

Next steps: staff will publish formal allocation recommendations, accept public comment, and return to the board at the scheduled follow-up hearing; final award decisions and any required resolutions will be made by the commissioners at a subsequent meeting.