Ohio Development Services Agency Update

Spring is here and it’s hard to believe a year has gone by since the pandemic started. I want to thank you for your continued commitment to serving your communities and the support you have provided local businesses and Ohioans over the last year.  Your work truly makes a difference. We value your partnership and dedication to making Ohio a great place to live and work.

As the number of vaccinated Ohioans grows, we are hopeful that the number of cases will decline. As Governor DeWine has said, we are close to the end of this race, and we have to keep going and run through the end. That means we must continue to practice social distancing, wear a mask, and if you don’t feel well, stay home. This, along with vaccinations, will help us mitigate the virus and get us back to normal sooner.

Recently, Governor DeWine announced that mass vaccination clinics are opening across the state, giving more Ohioans the opportunity to get vaccinated. The stationary mass vaccination sites will be held at:

• The Knights of Columbus, Lima, Ohio
• The Lucas County Rec Center, Maumee, Ohio
• Dayton-Montgomery County Convention Center, Dayton, Ohio
• The Celeste Center, Columbus, Ohio
• The Summit County Fairgrounds, Akron, Ohio
• The site of the former Dillard's at Southern Park Mall, Youngstown, Ohio
• The Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
• The Wilmington Airpark, Wilmington, Ohio
• Adena Medical Education Center, Chillicothe, Ohio
• Wayne Street Medical Campus, Marietta, Ohio
• Colony Square Mall, Zanesville, Ohio

And as of March 29, vaccinations are open to all Ohioans over the age of 16. Ohioans can find providers and vaccine information at vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov and schedule appointments at the state’s centralized scheduling website at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov .

Here at Development, we continue to identify ways to support Ohioans and our communities. With funding from the federal government, we established the Home Relief Grant program to help income-eligible Ohioans with their rent and utility bills. Now the Consolidated Appropriations Act funding will allow us to provide Ohio renters assistance back to March 30, 2020, and through December 2022.

Governor DeWine’s Investing in Ohio’s Future Initiatives are currently in the legislature. The initiative includes funding for broadband expansion, businesses impacted by the pandemic, and for community infrastructure projects. Our team continues to monitor the status of these initiatives, and as soon as they are passed, we wil work quickly to get the funding to the communities and businesses that need the support.

We continue to hear of the innovative solutions our communities and local nonprofit organizations developed to meet the challenges of the pandemic. I hope you will share with us how you have used our programs or partnered with other organizations to help your community through this unprecedented time. If you have a success story you would like to share, email one of our team members or submit your story to Communication@development.ohio.gov.  

Finally, the weather is getting warmer and allowing us to be outside. Make sure to check out the 2021 Ohio Travel Guide, which is packed with more than 970 listings that cover 480 locations across all of Ohio’s 88 counties. The guide is full of inspiration and travel ideas to safely explore and support Ohio businesses and attractions.

Thank you for your continued partnership. I know that together we are making a difference in communities across Ohio.