Hocking County approves $120,000 in CDBG allocation matches for Laurelville, Logan grant applications

Hocking County commissioners voted to allocate $120,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation funds on May 20 to support two competitive state grant applications, county meeting minutes and the meeting transcript show. The county will earmark $82,400 to help the Village of Laurelville make a Critical Infrastructure (CI) grant application viable and $37,600 as the county match for the City of Logan’s Neighborhood Revitalization Grant (NRG) application.

The recommendation came from HACAP community development coordinators Jeff (HACAP) and Nathan Simons, who presented options to the commissioners and described timelines. “The CI grant has a ceiling of 500,000. So in order to make that project viable, Laurelville is requesting $82,400 in allocation funding to match that grant,” Simons said during the presentation. He also said the county’s available CDBG allocation for project funding is $120,000.

Why it matters: the county’s allocation funds are intended to be leveraged as local matches to secure larger state or federal grants. HACAP noted that if both competitive applications are successful, the county’s $120,000 could leverage roughly $1.25 million in project funding, according to comments during the meeting.

Details of the requests and alternatives

HACAP said the Village of Laurelville’s estimate for the CI-type work is about $582,400; because the CI grant ceiling is $500,000, Laurelville is seeking the additional $82,400 from the county allocation to make the total project feasible. HACAP described the Laurelville scope as primarily drainage and flood mitigation work (catch basins, curve and roadway repairs) rather than park construction; the mayor had requested some park repairs and security cameras, but HACAP said the CI request centers on drainage improvements.

For the City of Logan, HACAP is preparing an NRG application. The county’s proposed match for that project is $37,600. HACAP described the NRG process as community-driven: initial community meetings and a resident survey will identify and rank neighborhood needs (parks, streets, sidewalks, demolition within program caps), then engineers will help narrow feasible projects and produce cost estimates for the final application.

HACAP staff noted Murray City recently received an NRG award and currently has roughly $920,000 in construction and related work underway; they recommended giving priority to Laurelville for an allocation match because Murray City was funded previously.

Timeline and next steps

HACAP said the state application portal opened recently and the submission deadline for competitive applications is June 11. The presenters requested the county finalize its allocation decisions quickly so HACAP can prepare required public notices and a second community meeting. HACAP asked that project details be nailed down by Monday, May 26 so ad copy can be submitted to the Logan Daily by Tuesday, May 27 to meet notice requirements.

During discussion commissioners asked whether the county could administer the allocation program in-house and retain the administrative fee (approximately $30,000) rather than using HACAP for administration. HACAP responded that the county historically used HACAP for administrative capacity but that the county may administer the CDBG program internally if it has sufficient staff capacity.

Motion and outcome

A commissioner moved to approve the recommended allocation: $82,400 to support the Village of Laurelville’s critical infrastructure application and $37,600 to support the City of Logan’s Neighborhood Revitalization Grant application. Another commissioner seconded. The motion passed by voice vote; commissioners present voted in favor and the matter was approved for the record. Commissioners and HACAP staff emphasized the approvals are for the county’s commitment of allocation funds as local matches for the applications; the competitive grants themselves must still be awarded by the state.

Other issues discussed

- HACAP presented an alternative plan in case the competitive grants are not funded: identify a parks-and-recreation project in Logan (Mango Park was mentioned) that could be scaled to consume the county allocation. HACAP also mentioned an alternate possibility of providing $420,000 to Logan for parks if needed as a contingency, described as a planning option rather than an approved use of funds.

- Commissioners asked for clearer communication with city officials and the mayor of Logan to confirm projects and ensure any county-funded work falls within the NRG’s target area; HACAP reiterated that NRG eligibility depends on a defined target area and community participation.

What the vote does and does not do

The vote authorizes the county to reserve its $120,000 CDBG allocation as local matching funds for the two competitive applications HACAP will submit on the county’s behalf. It does not guarantee state grant awards, does not finalize project-level scopes (those depend on community meetings, engineering feasibility and city concurrence), and does not commit county staff to administer the program (the county may choose to administer in-house if it has capacity).

Next public actions included scheduling the required second public hearing to satisfy notice periods before final application submission, and finalizing ad copy and project lists by May 26–27 so HACAP can meet publication deadlines.

Ending: The commissioners closed the agenda item after approving the allocation commitments; HACAP staff thanked the board for the decision and said they would proceed with community meetings and application preparation.