No interest means no grant for Lisbon
LISBON –There is not enough interest among downtown building owners for the village to seek a state grant to help them fix up their buildings, and Mayor Joseph Morenz believes he is partially to blame.
“I am kind of (disappointed by the response), but I’m kind of to blame myself. If we had done this earlier I think we could have gotten a better response,” he said.
May 11 was the deadline imposed by Morenz for building owners interested in participating in the assistance program, but only three, and possibly a fourth, returned a survey expressing interest.
Morenz announced in early April the village was eligible to apply to the Ohio Development Services Agency for up to $300,000 in federal funding under the CDBG Downtown Revitalization grant program. He invited building owners to a meeting held later in the month to explain the program, but only 10 of the estimated 70 owners attended.
The three owners who expressed interest in participating in the program each committed to seeking $25,000 or more in grant funding to make improvements to their buildings. The consultant advising the village told Morenz they needed commitments totaling the full $300,000 for the village to have a chance of being awarded a grant.
“It’s one of those things that if you’re going to do this you have to go for the whole amount,” he said.
Participating building owners were required to contribute $1 for every dollar in grant money sought. The grant money was also handed out on a reimbursement basis, with owners having to put up 100 percent of the project cost to get back 50 percent, which may have convinced some not to participate.
The application deadline is June 15, and Morenz said he waited too long in getting the word out about the program, but having to wait until the next grant period in 2020 will work to their advantage.
“This will give us more time to talk to people and explain the program. I still think it’s a doable thing. We just started too late,” he said.
In other news, Morenz reported the Ohio Department of Commerce has approved the village’s application creating a state revitalization district in the downtown. This was done so Jason Geissinger could seek a state liquor license for his restaurant, Scratch. Anthony Sylvester, who owns the building on South Market Street where Scratch is located, petitioned village council to seek the revitalization district designation.
The designation would have no regulatory impact on downtown property owners. The chief benefit is it makes new liquor licenses available for businesses operating within the district and for less than the cost of purchasing an existing license from a current license holder.
Once the designation came through, Morenz said Geissinger applied for a liquor license. He said approval is expected within a month, provided the Methodist Church located down the street does not object and ask for a hearing.