Save the Date: 2010 Candidates Forum - Aug. 4
Please plan to attend the 2010 Candidates Forum August 4 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. The Ohio Association of Regional Councils (OARC), Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA), Transportation Matters, Women in Transportation (WTS, Columbus Chapter), The American Planning Association Ohio Chapter (APA OH) and The Ohio Public Transit Association (OPTA) will host a 2010 Gubernatorial & U.S. Senate Candidate Event on August 4 at the Hilton Hotel at Easton in Columbus.
The event will bring together members of various organizations to hear candidates on issues related to Job Creation, Economic Development, Transportation and Infrastructure.
Registration information to follow via email. Full details will be posted at www.ohioeda.com soon. Questions? Contact: Shari at 614.233.4125 or ssaunders@morpc.org
March
Unemployment Rates
Ohio's unemployment rate rose to 10.9 percent in February, up from 10.8 percent in January.
The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in February was 647,000, up from 641,000 in January. The number of unemployed has increased by 99,000 in the past 12 months from 548,000.
The U.S. unemployment rate for February was 9.7 percent, unchanged from January.
In the Region:
Athens: 9.7%
Hocking: 13.6%
Meigs: 17.7%
Monroe: 17.1%
Morgan: 18.3%
Noble: 18.1%
Perry: 16%
Washington: 10.5%
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ODOT District 10 Issues
Construction Guide
District 10's official 2010 Construction brochure featuring 67 projects throughout Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Vinton and Washington counties is now available. Click HEREto view the 2010 Construction Brochure |
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Buckeye Hills Welcomes New Members to Revolving Loan Fund Committee
Mike Loyd, Community Development Director/Educator for OSU Extension in Noble Co. and Scott Braiden of Noble County will be serving on the Buckeye Hills Revolving Loan Fund Committee. |
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Buckeye Hills Hosts Semi-Annual Meeting
Issues "State of the 8" Annual Report
Buckeye Hills hosted its Semi-Annual Meeting in April where it released the 2009 "State of the 8" Annual Report to the District's eight-county region (Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry and Washington). In addition, a new slate of officers was announced and includes: President: Ron Moore, Morgan County; Vice-President: Virgil Thompson, Noble County and Treasurer: Sam Cook, Washington County. Shown at left is meeting moderator and President, Ron Moore.
Nearly 100 representatives from the region and state and federal agencies attended. The keynote address was delivered by Dave Rose, Public Information Officer for The ODOT District 10 area. Leaders from Buckeye Hills and its Area Agency on Aging (AAA8) provided annual updates on programs in the region. To view the 2009 Annual Report visit http://www.buckeyehills.org
"Over the past year, the Buckeye Hills staff has worked to secure financing totaling over $67 million for various projects that have a positive impact on residential and commercial sectors," said Misty Casto, Executive Director. "These projects improve the quality of life for the people of the region. For every one dollar in administration, Buckeye Hills leveraged nearly $109 in project dollars."
As the liaison for Ohio Public Works, District 18 received Ohio Stimulus funding and submitted 46 projects totaling more than $19.4 million. The Public Works program also funded over $9 million for the region's roads, bridges, and water projects in its regular annual budget.
As a key primary economic development tool serving small businesses in the region's rural areas, Buckeye Hills also maintains a Revolving Loan Fund Program (RLF) loan. The fund issued four loans for more than $645,000 with 26 jobs created and 21 retained. The program leveraged additional private and public investments of nearly $1.76 million.
"As the annual report notes, the AAA8 network of providers delivered more than $11 million dollars of services across the region last year," said AAA8 Director Rick Hindman. "They served more than 210,000 home-delivered and congregate meals and provided homemaker and caregiver services to meet the needs of our nearly 1,100 PASSPORT clients throughout the year." AAA8 also continued the Senior Farmers Market and expanded its Housing programs. In addition, the Area Agency on Aging launched a new look to its website and worked to formalize a cooperative for its rural health care providers. |
Buckeye Hills Helps Welcome ARC Federal Co-Chair
 Buckeye Hills joined representatives in Washington D.C. from the 13-state Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) in April to welcome the new Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Federal Co-Chair, Earl F. Gohl Jr. He is the 11th federal co-chair to be appointed since ARC was established by Congress in 1965. Shown above from left: Jim Mylott (Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council), Misty Casto (BH-HVRDD); Earl Gohl (ARC); Sharon Gardner (Northeast Mississippi Planning and Development District) and Eric Bridges (North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission).
Misty Casto, Executive Director of Buckeye Hills, also serves as the DDAA Training Committee Chair. This committee was responsible for coordinating an "on-boarding" training for Gohl and coordinating a meeting for DDAA leaders.
Gohl has 20 years of experience in Pennsylvania state and local government, ranging from his first job at the State Association of Boroughs, to serving as the Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Harrisburg; an elected member of the Harrisburg City Council; and Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs. As Deputy Secretary, he awarded and administered $100 million annually in housing and community development programs benefiting communities within the Appalachian region. He also managed several initiatives to strengthen the capacity of rural local governments to meet economic challenges. In 1996 Gohl was appointed to serve as Special Assistant and then Associate Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. He holds an M.P.A. from Pennsylvania State University and a B.A. from Rider College.
ARC is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government. It is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and the federal co-chair, who is appointed by the president. Local participation is provided through multi-county local development districts.
Each year ARC provides funding for several hundred projects in the Appalachian Region, in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, infrastructure, community development, housing, and transportation.
DDAA is a membership organization of the 73 Local Development Districts (LDD's) serving the 420 counties of the Appalachia Region. The DDAA works to strengthen LDDs and their member governments and to provide leadership to support the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) federal-state-local partnership. |
 Ohio ARC Districts Honor Voinovich
The executive directors from Ohio's ARC Local Development Districts coordinated an award to honor Senator George Voinovich and his service to and support of the Appalachian Regional Commission and other programs across the region. They presented the award to him while he visited the region April 26.
Shown at the award presentation hosted at The Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs are from left: Greg DiDinato, OMEGA; Mrs. Voinovich; Senator Voinovich; Misty Casto, BH-HVRDD; and John Hemmings, OVRDC. John Getchy from Eastgate Regional Commission was unable to attend. |
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U.S. Rep. Space Honored at EODA Annual Meeting
 The executive directors from Ohio's ARC Local Development Districts honored U.S. Rep. Zack Space with the NADO Congressional Partnership Award at the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance (EODA) 20th Anniversary Annual meeting on April 30. Shown at left are Misty Casto (BH-HVRDD), John Getchy (Eastgate), John Hemmings (OVRDC), Congressman Zack Space and Greg DiDinato (OMEGA).
The National Association of Development Organization's (NADO)Congressional Partnership Award recognizes Members of Congress who have demonstrated leadership in promoting regional community and economic development.
The Appalachian local development districts in the 18th Congressional District include Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District, The Ohio Valley Regional Development District (OVRDC) and The Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA).
These districts nominated Congressman Zack Space for the NADO Partnership Award because of his advocacy on behalf of the 23 million people of the nation's Appalachian Region and especially for those living in his district.
Fourteen of the 16 counties in Zack Space's District are in the Appalachian Region. During his term in office, Congressman Space has been a strong advocate fighting for funding of the Appalachian Regional Commission and being a leader of the Appalachian Caucus. Zack Space and his regional and Washington DC office staff have been champions of rural broadband and economic development issues and they are focused on helping communities and the region as a whole. |
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Buckeye Hills Now Accepting Pre-applications for 2011 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Grants
 Project profiles are due in our office no later than 4 p.m. Friday June 11.
Buckeye Hills will be accepting pre-applications for 2011 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Grants. The pre-application consists of a completed Project Profile Form, along with required attachments.
As always, your projects must serve residents in one or more of our eight-county region (Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry, and Washington). ARC goals for 2011 address the following issues:
- To create/retain private sector jobs
- To extend or upgrade water or sewer services
- To provide quality health care
- To provide job skills training
- To develop/improve infrastructure for residents
A copy of the project profile has been included in this mailing. You may also find the project profile on our website. Simply log onto www.buckeyehills.org and click Applications, then Grant Applications on the left side of the page. Or you can type in the following web address to go directly to this page: www.buckeyehills.org/forms/grant.
The project profile is a form that can be filled in electronically, so you can save it to your own computer and work on it over time.
Project profiles are due to Buckeye HIlls no later than 4p.m. Friday June 11.
Please submit your completed project profile and attachments to:
Electronically:Email to cwesel@buckeyehills.org
By Mail: Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District
ATTN: Charmel Wesel PO Box 520 Reno, OH 45750
Hand delivery: Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District
1400 Pike Street Marietta, OH 45750
The Buckeye Hills Development Department staff is ready to work through this with you, so please call them at 740-374-9436 should you have any questions or concerns.
Development Department Staff:
- Melissa Zoller, Development Director
- Bret Allphin, GIS Specialist
- Michelle Hyer, Development Specialist II
- Tina Meunier, Business Development Coordinator
- Charmel Wesel, Development Specialist |
 Athens: Turner to Head Ohio Association
of Senior Centers
Mike Turner, Executive Director of United Seniors of Athens County, has been elected president of the Ohio Association of Senior Centers. The group represents over 100 senior centers across Ohio.
Athens County Mobility Manager Funded by ODOT Grant
Made possible through a grant from ODOT, Athens County and Athens city now have a mobility manager to focus on transportation needs for the area. Lantz Repp is the county's first Mobility Manager and is working from Hocking-Athens-Perry Community Action in Glouster. The purpose of the position is to optimize all transporation services and help inform people about services offered.
Hocking County: Business Incubator Option Studied
The Hocking County Community Improvement Corp. and the Logan-Hocking Chamber of Commerce have hired a consultant to help determine if a business incubator is right for Hocking County. Incubators provide a supportive environment for entrepreneurs working to start a business or for established businesses that need additional support services. The study should be complete by early summer.
Monroe County: Broadband Center Partners to Expand Higher Education
The GMN Broadband Center in Woodsfield has partnered with Belmont Technical College (BTC) to support expansion of in-county higher education offerings. BTC will operate the GMN Broadband Center to provide local and convenient access to high-speed internet and online course materials.
Morgan County: Transit Grant Awarded
The Federal Transit Admin. awarded Morgan County $325,000 for the purchase and renovation of its office and garage facilities as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding.
Perry County: Village of Somerset Receives "Green Space" Funding
The Clean Ohio Conservation Fund program will provide the Village of Somerset a grant of $230,000 to adquire 35 acres within the village limits for a green space nature park or an "emerald necklace" - a ring of open green spaces around the village. In addition, part of the space will be used by Somerset Elementary School as a "Wild School" outdoor classroom environment to teach nature and conservation programs. |
 May is Older Americans Month
May is Older Americans Month - - a tradition dating back to 1963 to honor the legacies and ongoing contributions of older Americans and support them as they enter the next stage in life. The Area Agency on Aging 8 and its eight county Councils on Aging and its providers are joining communities nationwide in celebrating this month with special activities and events.
This year's Older Americans Month theme-Age Strong! Live Long!-recognizes the diversity and vitality of today's older Americans who span three generations. They have lived through wars and hard times, as well as periods of unprecedented prosperity. They pioneered new technologies in medicine, communications, and industry while spearheading a cultural revolution that won equal rights for minorities, women, and disabled Americans. These remarkable achievements demonstrate the strength and character of older Americans, and underscore the debt of gratitude we owe to the generations that have given our society so much. But the contributions of older Americans are not only in the past. Older Americans are living longer and are more active than ever before. And with the aging of the baby boomer generation-the largest in our nation's history-America's senior population is expected to number 71.5 million by 2030. While keeping the growing population of older Americans healthy and active will increase the demand for senior services, what is remarkable is the extent to which older Americans themselves are supporting each other. As the new generations of seniors become better educated and more financially secure than their predecessors, they are spending more time making significant contributions in their communities through civic and volunteer opportunities. |
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