Hubbard gets grant to study upgrades

HUBBARD -- The Ohio Department of Development has given the city $15,000 to study downtown improvements.
The grant approval announced Wednesday is through the Comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Tier One Program.
Jamie Persino, a planner with the Trumbull County Planning Commission, which applied for the grant, said the money will be used to perform a comprehensive planning study.
The study, or market analysis, will take a year to complete. It will look at, among other things, the types of commercial businesses and infrastructure needed to improve the downtown.
Business owners and residents will be asked what they would like to see in the downtown.
"We want as much community participation as possible," Persino said.
To qualify for the Tier One grant, the planner said, 900 photographs of the interior and exterior of buildings were taken. It was found that more than 51 percent of the buildings were substandard.
With the results of the market analysis, Persino said, the planning commission will be able to apply for a maximum $400,000 in Tier Two funds.
If approved, the money could be used for such projects as street resurfacing, sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, building fa & ccedil;ades, and eliminating building code violations.
To receive $400,000, Persino explained, the city would have to come up with $800,000 as its share.
The local share could come in the form of local money spent to upgrade the downtown.
For example, the money spent on the construction of a new safety building, which is being considered by city officials, could serve as the local match.
yovich@vindy.com