April 30, 2020
Hello everyone,
We hope you are doing well. We are sharing information we thought you could use to prepare for the Responsible Restart for Ohio, as well as opportunities to connect to funding, program information, and webinars.
Since the start of the shelter in place order OVRDC staff have been working from home and will continue to do so through at least May 8th. The decision for staff to return to work on site at the OVRDC office, will be made on a week by week basis and depend on various safety considerations like the availability of proper cleaning and sanitizing supplies, the ability to maintain social distancing and other best practice considerations.
Please continue to reach out to our team via email with any questions you may have about connecting to resources, applications for funding, project deliverables, and more. More information is available on our website OVRDC.org and the OVRDC Facebook and Twitter pages. We are happy to help. Stay safe everyone and stay responsible.
John Hemmings, Executive Director
Governor DeWine has announced the Responsible Restart Ohio plan, and a gradual re-opening of businesses starting May 1 with the return to scheduling and performing elective surgery and healthcare procedures. Others will follow:
- May 1 – Open healthcare facilities for procedures, elective surgery and wellness
- May 4 – Open manufacturing, distribution, construction and general office operations
- May 12 – Open retail and consumer businesses
All operations will be conducted with first regard for the health and safety of both workers and patrons, following strict health and cleanliness guidelines established by state and local health departments.
Sector Specific Guidelines for the #ResponsibleRestartOhio are HERE.
Funding Opportunities & Resources
Local Safety Study Assistance – Now Accepting Requests
ODOT’s new Local Safety Assistance Program (LSAP) is now accepting requests for road safety audits and safety studies to be completed for your local government. Completing a safety study is a necessary step in order to apply for project funding through ODOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program.
The request form can be filled out HERE. Requests are due by May 29th, 2020.
The approval of requests will be based on, but not limited to, criteria such as:
- Number and severity of crashes
- Location is listed on a local, county, RTPO, MPO, or state priority list
- Financial need
- Local government has little to no history of receiving ODOT safety funds
- Crash pattern consistent with an SHSP emphasis area
If you have any questions, please contact the Local Safety Assistance Program manager, Jeremy Thompson, at Jeremy.Thompson@dot.ohio.gov or 614.466.7045.
Job Opening Now Accepting Applications for Brownfield Cleanup RFP
The Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Brownfield Recovery Coordinator for Lawrence and Scioto Counties in Ohio. All interested parties, persons, firms or groups must submit a proposal electronically by 12:00 pm EST on May 15, 2020.
Contact John W. Hemmings III, Executive Director of the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission at (740) 947-2853, or email jhemmings@ovrdc.org for more information or to submit a proposal.
Full RFP details are here:
Brownfield Recovery Coordinator RFP Scioto and Lawrence
FEMA Assistance to Firefighters and First Responders
There are currently three different grant applications open through FEMA for fire grants, including the COVID-19 supplemental emergency funding application due by May 15, 2020.
All details to help with applying, plus trainings are HERE on the FEMA website.
Webinars
RIPL Webinar This Friday, May 1 – Register Now
The Governor’s Office of Appalachia (GOA) will host a free webinar for the Rural Industrial Park Loan Program (RIPL) this coming Friday, May 1, 2020 at 11:00 am.
The Rural Industrial Park Loan Program, or RIPL, promotes economic development by providing low-interest direct loans to assist eligible applicants in financing the development and improvement of industrial parks and related off-site public infrastructure improvements.
Eligible Applicants & Projects
Eligible applicants include counties, municipalities, townships, non-profit organizations, port authorities, community improvement corporations, and private developers willing to develop and improve industrial parks in rural areas of the state. Eligible rural areas include distressed, labor surplus and situational distressed counties as defined by the Ohio Revised Code.
Available Funding
A total budget of $25 million is available for state fiscal year 2020. The loan may be used to finance up to 75% of allowable project costs with loan amounts from $500,000 to $2,500,000. A minimum of 10% equity contribution from the borrower is required.
Partial Loan Forgiveness
At least 50% of the outstanding loan balance may be forgiven upon successful completion of the project as described in the application and loan agreement.
Program Fees
Non-refundable $1,500 application fee is due upon submitting a completed application. If the applicant is approved for funding under the program, the application fee will be credited against the commitment fee. The Non-refundable commitment fee of at least $12,500 (based on complexity of deal) is due upon receipt of a signed loan approval, confirmation and commitment letter. An Annual servicing fee equal to ¼ of 1% (.25%) of the outstanding principal amount of the loan is pro-rated and payable monthly after closing of the loan.
For more information contact Julia Hinten, Appalachia Program Manager Governor’s Office of Appalachia
Managing Food Enterprises During COVID-19
Do you want to learn what farmers’ markets, food hubs and the grocery retail industry are doing to operate safely amid #COVID19? Join the Appalachian Regional Commission’s, learning exchange, an interactive Zoom Panel discussion with leaders in the food and ag space to learn, ask questions, and share your own best practices.
Tune in to Appalachian Regional Commission Presents Managing Food Enterprises During COVID-19: An Online Learning Exchange on May 6th, 1pm ET. Panelists include April Koenig, Executive Director at Sprouting Farms, Leslie Schaller, Director of Programs at ACEnet, Darlene Wolnik, Training and Technical Assistance Director at Farmers Market Coalition and Doug Baker, Vice President of Industry Relations at the Food Marketing Institute.
So join us Wednesday, May 6th at 1pm ET for an interactive Zoom Panel discussion focused on safely and effectively operating food enterprises during COVID-19. Please feel free to share with others who may find the information relevant; all are welcomed.
Register here.
For more information contact Mieka Sanderson, Program Analyst, Business Development Division of Business and Workforce Investment for the Appalachian Regional Commission.
IT Security for your Business from OSU South Center
Free Webinar on Tuesday, MAY 12, 2020 | 9:00 am to 10:00 am
Join the OSU South College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Science as guest speaker Larry Tumblin, Director of Information Technology for OHIO University Regional Higher Education, presenting a free webinar on best practices in IT security for your business. Learn about common threats, training your employees, protecting your data, and more!
To join the virtual meeting webinar copy and paste the link below into your browser:
go.osu.edu/security4business
Larry Tumblin has worked for Ohio University since 1994. He has served the community as the VP for Finance on the Muskingum Valley Boy Scouts Executive Board, a member of the Foundation Council for the Muskingum County Community Foundation, a Loaned Executive for the United Way, the Appalachian OhioP20 Education Council, and on the Board of Directors for MCBI (the business incubator). Larry is passionate about higher education for our region. In his previous life, Larry served in the U.S. Army as a Russian Linguist.
For more information contact: Patrick Dengel, cell 740-708-7810, EM: dengel.3@osu.edu
Business Development Specialist and Executive Producer of OSU South Centers Telecasts for The Ohio State University South Centers.
