A few business owners implored commissioners last month to support the planned route. Lisa Schaffer, human resources manager at FinPan, Inc. in Hamilton was one of them.
“There is no transportation into any of the industrial areas, the major employers are within,” Schaffer said. “A rising tide floats all ships, and the great job that has been going on with economic development in our area is not supported in transportation. With the economy having been so bad, so many of our lower-economic employees and the employees we’re trying to fill labor positions with, lost their transportation.”
BCRTA Executive Director Matt Dutkevicz said with the county’s pledge and a promise from the city of Hamilton of $25,000, they are now shy $50,000 to open the route. BCRTA has a $180,000 commitment from the Regional Transit Authority and Dutkevicz said he is still in funding talks with Fairfield and has applied for a grant from the Hamilton Community Foundation. Failing those, they could always reduce hours of operation, he said.
He is grateful for the county’s support.
“We’re excited to have some support from the county for the job shuttle, we think it is going to be a successful program,” he said. “We’re glad to have some more partners in the mix.”
The largest CDBG project is $248,000 for South Main Street road improvements in Lemon Twp. and $200,000 worth of down payment assistance for Middletown, which is in a consortium with the county for the federal programs.
Desmond Maaytah, the county’s community development manager, said Lemon Twp. hasn’t made any CDBG fund requests in the past five years, the project they want to do is worthwhile and the area qualifies as low-to-moderate income, which is the primary focus of these grants.
The commissioners also approved $125,000 in St. Clair Twp. to help about 100 residents of the Williamsdale subdivision hook up to the new sewer system and about $40,000 so New Miami can continue making repairs to its water system. It was the block grant program that revealed the village had a brand new $1 million water tower standing dormant for five years because of a missing pressure reducing valve.
The county every year gives out federal funds for local projects through the CDBG and HOME Investment Partnerships Program. This year, the county received $3 million worth of requests.
“The projects selected by the commissioners this year continues their focus to assist low and moderate income areas of the county that have been hit hard with cuts in local government funds,” Maaytah said. “Their focus continues to be on replacing aging infrastructure and funding programs and services that have been proven successful at assisting as many low income and elderly residents as possible.”
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