Community Development Committee advances ARPA and CDBG awards for museums, arts, public-safety programs and the Jesse Owens house

Cuyahoga County’s Community Development Committee voted to advance a package of grant awards and contract corrections covering historic preservation, arts research, museum programming, public-safety programming and community events.

The committee approved moving multiple resolutions to the full council for second reading, including a request by the Cleveland Restoration Society for up to $20,000 in ARPA district funds to study stabilization and preservation of the Jesse Owens family home. Margaret Lan of the Cleveland Restoration Society said the money would fund a task force, legal review and feasibility studies — including interior assessments (mechanicals and lead abatement), the placement of a preservation easement held by the society, tenant-status reviews, and a plan for potential transfer to nonprofit stewardship as a house museum. Lan said homeowner John Cummings is participating in planning and that the work is intended to preserve historical integrity while considering current tenants’ needs. The committee approved a motion to advance the resolution by voice vote; the presentation did not include an overall project cost beyond the planning request.

The committee also moved several cultural and community awards out of committee:

- Assembly for the Arts: up to $50,000 from District 7 ARPA funds to support a 12‑month research project on the arts-and-culture funding landscape. Jeremy Johnson said the study (with SMU DataArts and Lord Cultural Resources) will explore sustainable funding alternatives as cigarette-tax revenue declines (he noted the cigarette-tax program historically generated about $230 million for arts organizations).

- Western Reserve Historical Society: up to $20,000 in ARPA funds for placemaking tied to the New African American History Gallery and associated community programming. Regina Williams described partnerships with the National Museum of African American History and Culture and local institutions, and said the gallery’s programming includes a "buy-the-book" series and school partnerships.

- Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists: up to $15,000 to support the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) 2025 convention and career fair in Cleveland. Rhonda Crowder said the convention expects thousands of attendees and that funds will support local programming, scholarships and youth workforce efforts; one committee member offered an additional $5,000 from discretionary funds.

- National Rights of Passage Institute: up to $10,000 for cultural-community engagement events in East Cleveland and partnering programming with the East Cleveland Public Library.

- Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority (SWIM 19 22): request for ARPA support for community swim-safety clinics. Presenters sought $3,000 and described programming for adults and children to reduce drowning disparities; several council members pledged additional district funding (one pledged $10,000, another $5,000) to expand reach.

- African American Cultural Garden Monument Project: up to $10,000 for the final monument phase; presenters reported $1.8 million raised and $2.2 million still needed for completion.

Committee staff also presented formula grant awards: a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) municipal award package totaling $1,818,295.88 for FY2025 municipal projects, and a supplemental community development grant package of up to $1,648,012 (34 awards out of 49 applications). Kelly Glenn, administrator for the Department of Housing and Community Development, described the competitive review and scoring process, application counts, and the contract term (01/01/2025–12/31/2025). Committee members asked about unused funds from prior cycles and whether extensions are available; staff said extensions are sometimes granted (typically 3–6 months) depending on project type.

A separate administrative item corrected a contract rate with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland after an auditor review. Sarah Parks Jackson said the contract used an outdated per-household rate; staff recommended amending the contract to reflect the intended per-household amount so Legal Aid would not be required to repay funds. The committee advanced the correction to full council for second reading.

What changed and what’s next: Each grant resolution was moved to the full council for second reading and will be voted there. The committee did not adopt new policy changes for grant eligibility in these items, but the ordinance to prioritize municipalities (Ordinance 20250001) was held for further staff work following a separate, lengthy debate about defining a CDC and protecting municipal applicants.

Voice votes and motions: Nearly all award items were advanced by motion and voice vote; the committee recorded "ayes" and moved each item forward. Where councilmembers offered additional district funds to increase awards (for example, to the Sigma Gamma Rho swim program and NABJ support), staff said they would assemble the amended funding packages for the full-council meeting.

The committee adjourned after completing the agenda.