Hocking County holds second public hearing, approves CDBG application documents for Logan and Laurelville projects

Hocking County commissioners held a public hearing June 5 on the county’s application to the Ohio Department of Development for 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and then approved the required application documents.

County staff explained the county is eligible to apply for an annual allocation and may also apply for competitive CDBG grants. The projects discussed included a Neighborhood Revitalization Grant (NRG) application for the City of Logan (total estimated project cost across activities $787,600, with $700,000 in NRG construction funds, $50,000 administration, and a $37,600 local allocation match) and a CDBG Critical Infrastructure Grant (CIG) for the Village of Laurelville (total estimated project cost $582,405, with $470,000 for construction, $30,000 administration, and an $82,400 allocation match). Staff said the Laurelville project targets downtown flood and drainage work, including approximately 1,000 feet of new piping and about 16 catch basins; final scope will depend on complete engineer estimates that were pending at the hearing.

The commissioners voted to approve and sign three standard application documents required by the state: the environmental review certificate, the residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan, and the county’s authorizing resolution for the application. The anti-displacement document was discussed as a precaution and staff stated that the planned street, sidewalk and drainage work was not expected to cause residential displacement. The commissioners approved the three documents by voice vote.

Why this matters: CDBG funds are federal dollars administered through the state to support infrastructure and neighborhood revitalization projects that benefit low- and moderate-income residents. Approving the application documents allows Hocking County to submit project proposals for state review and potential funding.

Supporting details and next steps: staff said construction estimates for the Logan and Laurelville projects were not final; the County will adjust the application scope and funding request according to the engineer estimates when they are received. The presentation referenced coordination with the City of Logan’s mayor and city service director, Bruce Walker, and with consulting engineers (identified in the record as DLZ). County staff also noted administrative and fair-housing portions of the application and the required match amounts for the allocation-funded pieces. If awarded, the CIG work in Laurelville will focus on the downtown area identified by the village and county as prone to localized flooding.

The meeting record shows the standard public-notice steps for CDBG: an earlier informational hearing was held March 6, 2025, and this June 5 session served as the second public hearing required for application submission. The commissioners directed staff to file the signed documents with the state and to return any remaining, non-signature paperwork through general business processing as needed.

No formal public objections to the projects were recorded during this hearing. Staff and commissioners emphasized that the displacement/relocation plan would only be used if an unforeseen displacement occurred and that, for the described scope, displacement was not expected.

Votes at a glance: the three CDBG application documents (environmental review certificate; residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan; authorizing resolution) were approved and signed by the board at the June 5 meeting.