As Athens County prepares to apply for a series of federal grants, officials are picking their priorities for what they think the area needs.
Glenn Crippen, community development coordinator of Hocking Athens Perry Community Action, held a public hearing during the Athens County Commissioners’ meeting Tuesday to inform the community about different types of Community Development Block Grants the county could apply for this year.
Commissioner Chris Chmiel said he’s interested in using a type of grant to help secure a permanent location for the Athens Farmers Market.
The “Discretionary Targets of Opportunity” grant allows money to be used for “projects that do not fit into the structure of other community development programs,” Crippen said.
“I’m trying to get HAPCAP and (the market) to work together,” Chmiel added.
The other types of available grants focus on improving infrastructure throughout the county. Some of them have been used in the past to replace outdated water lines in Trimble and may be used to partner with Habitat for Humanity in New Marshfield.
Depending on the number of low-moderate income households in the county, Crippen said finding ways for the Farmer’s Market to benefit the poor may be a possibility.
Crippen said the county does plan to apply for one or more of these programs and will likely focus on infrastructure.
Once the county decides on which grants it will apply for, another public hearing will be held, and HAPCAP will then take the application to the state to get it approved, Crippen added.
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This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Federal grants may help Athens"
