Monday, January 5, 2009

ODOD announces new Clean Ohio Fund enhancements, deadlines

Lieutenant Governor and director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) Lee Fisher has announced several new improvements to the Clean Ohio Fund program meant to streamline the application process for more efficient funding and to make information more accessible for small and minority-owned businesses.

There will now be two Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund rounds per year, with Round 6 application submissions due by January 9 and awarded in May.

Round 7 applications will be due on July 25, with awards made in November.

Clean Ohio Assistance Fund requests can now be made every 30 days instead of the previously accepted 60 days.

Also, newly funded projects will be required to notify ODOD's Urban Development Division when they are seeking competitive bids for Clean Ohio Fund activities.

Those bids will be made available to small, women-, and minority-owned businesses through ODOD's online services.

The Clean Ohio Fund, administered through ODOD and the Ohio EPA, was allocated $400 million through Governor Ted Strickland's $1.57 billion Job Stimulus Plan following voter approval last November.

To date, the program has awarded more than $215 million to 76 communities to conduct environmental cleanup and demolition at brownfield properties.