OCCD 2022 Winter Meeting

Happy Holidays!  The weather here in Ohio is not really providing us with a holiday feeling but for those still commuting to the office - do you really miss the snow and ice? No matter the weather, after all the gifts are given and the New Year is rung in, January will bring our Winter Quarterly Meeting on the 26^th and 27^th.

The 2022 Winter Meeting will follow the same format as our previous online conferences:  two half-days of sessions followed by ODSA and HUD Field Office breakouts.  I am hopeful January’s presentations continue to demonstrate my goals of sessions being timely, helpful, and inspiring. 

Starting us off Wednesday, January 26, Amista Naylor Lipot, of the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, and Keary McCarthy, of the Ohio Mayors Alliance, will talk about how to utilize ARPA funding.  There will be time for questions, so I anticipate a lively discussion. 

Following the session about ARPA, Stacie L. Massey, MBA and Senior Financial Manager, Ohio Grants Partnership, will describe how OGP is supporting local governments in their management of federal funds.  If you missed the Ohio Grants Summit on December 7, Stacie can hit the highlights and tell us where to get additional information to manage those funds effectively and appropriately. 

Wednesday’s third session will be a review of existing economic development tools that we may not use every day, but that can mean the difference in moving a project forward.  Graham Allison, CEO and Co-Founder, Opportunity Zone Development Group, will describe Opportunity Zones and their uses, while Jessica Firmstone, of WesBanco, will share New Market Tax Credits with the group. 

Our business meeting will finish out Wednesday’s line-up.

Thursday, January 27, will begin with a discussion about infrastructure funding—how to get it and how to spend it.  Jason Warner, of the Greater Ohio Policy Center, will be give us suggestions on how to compete for funding, one of which is putting together a list of shovel ready projects.  He will also provide guidance on how to implement wisely and well if you are fortunate enough to obtain funding. 

The second session Thursday morning features another example of successful implementation, this time with Todd Kinskey, FAICP, Director of Planning, Neighborhoods & Development at the City of Dayton.  Todd will share how Dayton has utilized demolition funding in the past to clean up neighborhoods and pave the way for development.     

The final presentation on Thursday will be Tony Core of Squire Patton Boggs.  Tony will provide the State Legislative Update that we all have come to depend on.  After that will be our virtual breakout sessions with ODSA and the HUD Columbus Field Office staff.

Hopefully the sessions at the Winter Meeting will answer some of your questions about new programming, and if not, I encourage you to take advantage of the numerous opportunities to ask. 

Please visit our website at www.occd.org/foundation and consider donating to the Foundation’s Gold Star Campaign.   

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Terri Fetherolf, OCCD Vice President