Hocking County holds second public hearing on CDBG application, commissioners sign application documents

Hocking County commissioners held a second public hearing June 5 on a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application and approved three required application documents to move the county’s submittal forward.

County staff told the commissioners the county intends to apply to the Ohio Department of Development under the state-administered CDBG Small Cities program for program year 2025. The application under consideration includes a City of Logan Neighborhood Revitalization Grant (NRG) request and a Village of Laurelville Critical Infrastructure Grant (CIG) request, plus administrative and fair-housing funding.

The hearing provided project details and estimated budgets. The City of Logan NRG package is proposed as a $787,600 total project: $700,000 for construction, $50,000 for administration, and $37,600 as the required local allocation/match. The Village of Laurelville CIG project was presented with an estimated total cost of $582,405: roughly $470,000 for construction, $30,000 for administration, and an $82,400 allocation/match. County staff said Logan’s proposal focuses on flood and drainage work in a downtown segment (including replacement of about 16 catch basins and roughly 1,000 feet of piping), sidewalk and paving work on Third Street, and other street-level drainage and pedestrian improvements; Church Street was discussed as an alternate area but may be funded through other grants.

County staff also explained eligibility and program limits: the county’s annual CDBG allocation eligibility is $150,000 and the county may seek the neighborhood revitalization funding up to $750,000 in addition to its annual allocation. Staff said environmental review certificates, the residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan, and an authorizing resolution were ready for signature as part of the application package.

After the hearing, commissioners voted to approve and sign the three documents required for the application: the residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan, the environmental review certificate, and the authorizing resolution letterhead. No roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript for that motion; the commissioners indicated unanimous assent.

County staff said final construction estimates for Logan were still pending and that the extent of Third Street work will depend on those completed cost estimates and other grant outcomes. Staff also noted that the relocation policy would likely not be triggered because the Logan work is primarily street, sidewalk and drainage improvements and should not require permanent displacement.

The county staff who presented the hearing documents said the application materials may be signed today or included under general business for signatures and mailing to the state.

If the state awards the grants, the projects would be subject to the CDBG program requirements administered by the Ohio Department of Development; the transcript noted the state administers the federally funded program. The county will await the final contractor estimates and state review before project scopes are finalized.

Documents for the application will be filed with the state as required by CDBG program rules and the county will return to commissioners for project-specific implementation steps and contract approvals as needed.