Spring is in the air and we are busy planning the spring and summer quarterly conferences to wrap up OCCD’s 50th Anniversary year.  April is Fair Housing Month and we will highlight the 1968 Fair Housing Act at the Spring Quarterly Conference to show that our commitment to fair housing is a daily year-round commitment to eliminate housing discrimination and to create equal opportunity in every community. 

It’s been a great year so far, and great things are ahead.  We will be holding the Summer Quarterly Conference in Toledo on July 27 and 28.  It’s been several years since we held a quarterly conference outside of Columbus, but Tom Kroma and the city of Toledo have graciously offered to host our meeting and are planning several interesting and relevant programs. This is a great chance to see the exciting economic and community development projects that have impacted the city, to learn how they have enhanced the quality of living in Toledo, and to take home some ideas that will apply to your home community.   

If you missed the Winter Quarterly Conference, Lisa Patt-McDaniel is the new Vice President in charge of conference planning.  Lisa was willing to step into this position following the resignation of Amy Riegel.  Thanks go out to Lisa.  However, Amy isn’t gone from OCCD. She’ll be a presenter at the Spring Quarterly Conference.    We look forward to her presentation on how private companies are investing in community development. 

Through the OCCD Foundation, OCCD Scholarship applications are available on the OCCD website. This is your chance to encourage students interested in planning, community and economic development and public administration to apply. Applications are due April 15th and we expect to award up to two scholarships of $2,000 each!

Looking toward the Summer Quarterly Meeting and the Annual OCCD Member Awards, look for the unsung heroes in your community and nominate someone for the CD Professional of the Year, CD Department of the Year or one of our other prestigious awards.  The nomination process is simple and nominations will be accepted until June 17th.  More information will be available at the upcoming conference and on OCCD’s website. 

Do you need training?  We are looking for suggestions to meet your training needs; talk to Deb Mayes or me to let us know how we can help. 

From the HUDdle blog (2/17/16), “Seven years ago, this country was in the grips of the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression.”  Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, which was intended to “stop the bleeding” of the nation’s economy.  This act changed the way we think and the way we serve our communities.  It has impacted the work we do to prevent and end homelessness, to stabilize neighborhoods and substantially decrease the number of vacant and foreclosed properties in our communities, and to improve the quality of life for thousands of homeowners and renters across Ohio.  As we look back on these seven years and as we reflect on OCCD’s 50th Anniversary, we are reminded that what we do to help one person, family or household improves our neighborhoods and communities and makes Ohio a better place to work and live. 

Kathy Werkmeister, OCCD President

Welcome to Spring!  The next OCCD Quarterly Meeting will be held on April 27th and 28th at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North, 6500 Doubletree Avenue.  Again we will meet to expand our knowledge of community development and network with our community development colleagues.

Last year, many changes were made to OCCD’s by-laws. The Board found that there were still a few changes that needed to be made to make our governance clearer.  I give kudos to Past President Ken Lengieza who spearheaded the tweaking of the by-laws. They are available on OCCD’s website.  Please review the changes before our meeting, and let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Now is the time to nominate people and organizations for the OCCD Annual Awards presented at the summer meeting.  It is also the time to encourage your interns and other future community development professionals currently in college to apply for the OCCD Scholarship.  Information is on the website.

During our Fiftieth Anniversary Year, we continue to explore our future as vibrant and vital communities.  To that end, we continue to expand our understanding and knowledge of contemporary issues in the field of community and economic development.  In that spirit, we will start the morning with Terry Foegler, President of Urban Land Institute (ULI) Columbus, and Rob Voigt, Principal, VSInsights, to talk about the future of large houses.  We know that even in our smallest communities, there is a demand for walkable, denser development, but what do we do with the McMansions and the homes with over three bedrooms?  In addition, April is Fair Housing Month.  For our second morning session, we’ve invited Jim McCarthy of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center to discuss the changes that the HUD final rule for Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing will bring to communities.

After lunch we will convene for the OCCD Business Meeting where we will vote on changes to the by-laws and hear committee reports.  We will also get the legislative update from Pam Hanover.

Why do private companies get involved in the community development space?  Our own Amy Riegel will share CareSource’s strategy for doing exactly that.  She will be joined by Jesse Cannon of Nationwide Children’s Hospital who will tell us about the investments that the hospital is making in the neighborhood surrounding their campus.

We will close out the day with a presentation from the Ohio EPA regarding the programs they have available for helping communities with water and sewer infrastructure.  This is particularly important information given the community water issues that have taken center stage in the news.

OHFA has been touring the state to talk with interested parties regarding the use of the National Trust Fund allocation in Ohio. Thursday will start off with a presentation from OHFA on the Trust Fund, and how OHFA will use it. 

Have you wondered what LISC and Neighborworks do, and how they work in communities?  We invited Kim Cutcher of LISC and Kathryn Gibbons of Neighborworks to talk about what they do and how they assist communities with community development.

I know you will find these sessions very interesting, and as always, I look forward to seeing you in Columbus!

Lisa Patt-McDaniel, OCCD Vice President

David Goodman, Director

In the coming months, Ohio will roll out a new Ohio brand and advertising campaign encouraging people to come and visit Ohio. Tourism in Ohio is a $40 billion industry and employs more than 400,000 Ohioans. The new brand: “Ohio. Find It Here.” showcases the emotional aspect of travel while sharing the diversity and abundance of Ohio’s travel experiences. Developed from research and interviews, the new brand inspires people with happiness, excitement and shared connections they can experience in Ohio. The brand is flexible. It can be used beyond tourism for economic development campaigns. We are very excited about the new brand. If you have any questions about it, I encourage you to visit ohio.org, or call the TourismOhio Office at (614) 466-8844. I hope you will visit the unique tourist destinations Ohio has to offer.

Governor Kasich encourages state agencies to work together when possible to serve Ohio. Here at the Development Services Agency, one of our partnerships is the State Fire Marshal. Each year we serve more than 100,000 Ohioans through the Home Energy Assistance Winter Crisis Program, providing assistance to Ohioans facing disconnection from their utility service. Before receiving assistance, Ohioans may sometimes turn to space heaters and fire places to heat their homes. Over the last few months, Fire Marshal Flowers and I have been out in the community telling Ohioans about the Winter Crisis Program and fire safety. I’m confident we reached more Ohioans working together.

We partnered with the State Fire Marshal on two other programs, the Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Program and the Local Government Safety Capital Grant Program. The Local Government Safety Capital Grant Program provides grants to political subdivisions for the purchase of vehicles, equipment, facilities, or systems needed to enhance public safety. Applications are due March 21, 2016. For more information about the program, click here.

The Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Grant provides funding to assess and clean up BUSTR Class C sites (underground storage tanks with documented petroleum releases). Grants can fund property assessment and cleanup, including costs to empty or remove underground storage tanks, abatement of asbestos, lead or other contamination, demolition and site clearance. Applications are due April 1, 2016. To find out more about the program visit the website. Both programs have an online application – no paper application required – making the application process quicker and easier for applicants.   

With your help, we’re continuing to make Ohio a great place to work and raise a family. Thank you, again, for all you do to build and sustain Ohio communities!

Jorgelle R. Lawson, CPD Director

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” - John Muir   -- Every year, spring in our office means that our CPD Reps are busy working to get funding out to you by reviewing and approving Consolidated Plans and executing Grant Agreements.  

CPD COLUMBUS FIELD OFFICE UPDATES:

All Grantee Formula Meeting – April 28, 2016.  The FY-2016 Formula All Grantee Meeting will be held the afternoon of Thursday, April 28, 2016, at the Crowne Plaza North.  Topics will include HEROS, National Objective Compliance, Grant Based Accounting, and the eCon Plan in IDIS.

Notice CPD 16-02: Guidance for Categorizing an Activity as Maintenance for Compliance with HUD Environmental Regulations, 24 CFR Parts 50 and 58 - This Notice clarifies the difference between maintenance and repair for compliance with HUD's environmental regulations, 24 CFR Parts 50 and 58.  The guidance in this Notice describes how Responsible Entities and HUD reviewers should interpret maintenance in the environmental review of HUD-assisted, HUD-insured, and HUD-subsidized activities, including those in Community Planning and Development (CPD), Housing, and Public and Indian Housing (PIH).  To access this notice visit: https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/3197/guidance-categorizing-activity-as-maintenance-environmental-regulations-24-cfr-parts-50-and-58/

Please continue to check your e-mails for updates from my office. If there are any changes in e-mail addresses, please let your CPD Rep or Myrna Cokes know as soon as possible.