Towns wrangle for block grants

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Communities bickered among each other and officials butted heads as the county planning commission
weighed where block grant funding should go.
The money for which 13 communities applied could only be awarded to four projects under the Community
Development Block Grant program, a system of federal allocations handed down by the state each year,
much of which funds infrastructure projects that benefit low- and middle-income people or bring public
facilities into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The county’s pot from the state was whittled down to $155,660 available this year. That’s after 14
percent, or $25,340, the county keeps in administrative fees that mostly go toward the fair housing
program, according to Dave Steiner, director of the planning commission.
The competitive grant review Tuesday prompted a few community representatives to downgrade other projects
instead of advocating for their own, grasping at whatever might put their application over the top.
Bloomdale, Haskins, Pemberville and Tontogany were recommended by the planning commission to receive
funding, but not before an hour of moving projects up and down the board as commission members even
argued among themselves as to which should be supported. Projects submitted by Bradner and Weston were
selected as alternates.
Bradner and Weston were each in the top four when the first recommendation came from Rob Black, chairman
of the commission. But the benefit of children having a safer walking route to school drew several to
advocate for Tontogany’s proposed curb ramps, which are boosted by the village’s own commitment of
$75,000 toward sidewalks in the area.
Shuffling projects around in the order is necessitated by the fact that the commission could only award
up to four projects, down from six in previous years, spurring members to select requests that totaled
as close to the $155,660 sum as possible. The four winning projects totaled $140,320, leaving the
remaining $15,340 to be split evenly between them, if approved.
The final decision rests with the three county commissioners, who also sit on the planning commission.
The next step, a formality in other years after the commission makes a recommendation, becomes more
interesting in that commissioners Joel Kuhlman and Doris Herringshaw voted against the recommendation,
which passed 8 to 3 with John Brossia also voting no.
"The Haskins project just doesn’t fit in to me," Kuhlman said of the village’s proposal to
install curb ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Kuhlman weighed Haskins’ request
against a similar project submitted by Walbridge, noting that there wasn’t much to say Haskins should be
included and Walbridge dismissed.
"Some of the projects are just so similar that I have a hard time saying ‘Yeah, this one and not the
other,’" Kuhlman said.
Tension rose when Black called for a voice vote. After those in favor called out, Black quickly announced
that the motion carried without pausing to allow the no-votes to speak, prompting a reaction from
Kuhlman and Herringshaw who wanted to express their disagreement. They were joined by Brossia in raising
their hands against the recommendation in a count that followed the voice vote.
Once most community advocates left the meeting, the group cleared the air after reviewing a handful of
regular-business items, addressing the disagreement between planning commission members as well as those
community members who took jabs at other projects.
Black said after the meeting that he should have instructed those people to not address others’ requests
and instead focus on supporting their own projects.
He also told Kuhlman that the ultimate decision is up to him and the other commissioners.
"It’s just a recommendation. It truly is your decision, and it doesn’t bother me one way or the
other. I don’t want you to come away from this meeting feeling that we got it done to be done, but it’s
a pretty circular discussion at some point, and you’re ultimately the arbiters of what we want to
do."
Kuhlman suggested the group do more planning before next year’s awards and discuss what criteria should
matter most to alleviate the back and forth in front of those vested in the outcome.
"It was a little bit disappointing to see communities arguing and picking apart the other
plans," Kuhlman said.
"I think that there’s a lack of understanding of why we’re picking what we’re picking."
Black agreed.
"I’ve only been involved since 2010, and this is the first time that I’ve seen them eat their young,
and that was disappointing," Black said.
Commissioners will consider the awards June 12. The hearing was originally meant for Thursday but had to
be delayed due to advertising requirements, according to Steiner.
The projects and the CDBG funding they will receive are:
• Bloomdale: $28,870 (plus a $10,000 local contribution) to replace collapsed catch basins with new
concrete basins, clean sewers and replace adjacent pavement, curb, walk and lawn.
• Haskins: $43,900 (plus a $6,200 local contribution) to install at least 38 curb ramps compliant with
the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Pemberville: $50,000 (plus a $322,000 local contribution) to fund the renovation of the Town Hall and
Opera House to make it ADA compliant, including installation of an elevator and handicap-accessible
restrooms.
• Tontogany: $17,550 (plus a $1,950 local contribution) to fund installation of at least 13 ADA-compliant
curb ramps along Tontogany Creek Road from Crom Street to Kellogg Road.
Recommended as alternates were Weston’s request for $22,320 to demolish its abandoned water treatment
plant and Bradner’s proposal of $45,000 to go toward a waterline replacement project.
Others which applied included Hoytville, Jerry City, North Baltimore, Northwood, Rossford, Walbridge and
the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

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