BUCYRUS—The Crawford County Commissioners announced today that they are seeking project proposals for community infrastructure and facilities for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. The Commissioners have selected the Crawford Partnership to facilitate the process, and information will be made available at public hearings, in- person and virtual community meetings, and council meetings, and online at buildcrawford.org.

For Program Year 2023, Crawford County can apply to the Ohio Department of Development for up to the following amounts for the following CDBG programs:

• $220,000 in Community Development Allocation
• $500,000 for Critical Infrastructure
• $750,000 for Neighborhood Revitalization
• $750,000 for Residential Public Infrastructure
• Variable amount for the Flexible Grant Program

Tim Ley, President of the Crawford County Board of Commissioners, was pleased to make the announcement: “We are excited to announce the next round of Community Development Block Grant funding for our county. We want to support our cities, villages, townships, and nonprofits as they work hard to improve the quality of life for Crawford County residents.”

The process will officially begin with a public hearing on Tuesday, April 11 at 1:30 p.m. at the County Commissioners’ office at 112 E. Mansfield St., Bucyrus, Ohio 44820, where program information will be presented, questions answered, and project ideas discussed. An additional virtual public meeting will be held on Thursday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting link, as well as a recording of the meeting, will be available at buildcrawford.org.

The Crawford Partnership will reach out to governments and nonprofits to identify projects and work with them to fill out a needs assessment and then individual project proposal questionnaires, both of which are available at buildcrawford.org. The deadline for submitting project proposals is Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Submitted projects will be evaluated by the Crawford Partnership for completeness and eligibility and selected by the Crawford County Commissioners. Selected projects will be announced at a second public hearing on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. at the County Commissioner’s offices. Once projects are selected, the Crawford Partnership will work with the applicants to compile all the necessary documents in order for the County to submit their application by June 14, 2023.