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Monthly News & Updates:
Dec. 2016
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Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District
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Ohio Projects Receive ARC
POWER Initiative Support
ARC and EDA
announced nearly $28 million in POWER awards to foster growth in entrepreneurship, agriculture, technology, tourism, energy, and other emerging industries in communities previously reliant on coal. These awards supplement the 29 POWER grants totaling
$38.8 million announced in August. Since March, ARC and EDA have invested $66.3 million through the POWER Initiative. Nearly $47 million has come through ARC and is being put to work in 174 coal-impacted counties in Appalachia.
Ohio projects have received $5,593,864 to date.
Check out the List!
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Buckeye Hills has completed its portion of a $1.7 million grant for the EDA-sponsored Make It In America Challenge serving a 28-county region in Appalachia. The grant was part of a national challenge grant program reclaiming investments and jobs lost to foreign competition during the last decade in the wood furniture manufacturing, and the polymers/plastics and fabricated metals industries.
Buckeye Hills supported the effort to launch an economic development site selection resource focusing on high-value river sites available at www.ohioriversites. This endeavor capitalized on efforts taking place in cooperation with Buckeye Hills staff as part of the Make It In America program.
At the outset of the project, there were only 460 complete sites in the Ohio InSite database, a tool used by JobsOhio for site selection prospects. With the efforts of the Make It In America challenge resources, Buckeye Hills' Anthony Iachini, Develop Specialist III/Site Coordinator, was able to complete over 1,200 of the region's development sites catalogued in Ohio InSite - a 118% increase!
"I've traveled 17,000 miles across the 28 county region to partner on cataloging our Ohio River site resources," said Iachini. "It was a pleasure to work with so many diverse partners in fine tuning and adding sites to the prospective list for economic development efforts in the region."
Other Buckeye Hills program components include extensive GIS and data support for the recorded available sites. Partners in Make It in America also included The Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth (APEG) and the Ohio Valley Employment Resource (Workforce Investment Area 15), who coordinated the UpSkill workforce training program, and assistance provided to the region's manufacturers in the form of supply chain analysis/training and identifying potential partnerships and export potential.
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RTPO Provides Crash Data Reports & Planning Support
The Buckeye Hills Regional Transportation Planning Organization has coordinated a region-wide review of crashes. Between 2013 and 2015 there were a total of 14,230 crashes reported within the Buckeye Hills planning region. There were 3,400 people were injured as result of these crashes which includes 113 fatalities and 689 serious injuries.
Overall there has been almost no change in the total number of crashes, with 0.95% more crashes in 2015 compared to 2013. Fatal crashes decreased in that time by 8.11% while injury crashes increased by 3.19%.
The RTPO has also been assisting Meigs County with the creation of a master plan for active transportation within the county. This plan will include all bicycle, pedestrian and recreation trails and the potential of connectivity of these assets. In addition, they are conducting a traffic count study on the bike trail in Middleport.
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Dates to Remember:
Friday, Dec. 2 - Executive Committee Meeting
Monday, Dec. 12
- Staff Recognition and Holiday Dinner
Monday, Dec. 26 (for Christmas Holiday) - Office Closed
Monday, Jan. 2 (for New Year's Day Holiday) - Office Closed
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The Area Agency on Aging 8 is a program of Buckeye Hills-HVRDD.
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Honored for their service to elders in Washington County were from left: Anita Vaughan Adult Protective Services - Washington Co. JFS and Sgt. Kelly McGilton Washington Co. Sheriffs Office with AAA8 Program Manager Cathy Ash, LSW.
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AAA8 Regional Advisory Council Honors Caregivers & Project Lifesaver Program Partners
The Buckeye Hills Regional Advisory Council (RAC) met recently to honor caregivers and the Project Lifesaver Program partners.
"November is National Family Caregiver Month and we honor the many individuals who serve their loved ones," said Caregiver Advocacy & Project Lifesaver Program Manager Cathy Ash, LSW. "The Area Agency on Aging has a variety of available resources to support caregivers including the Caregiver Advocacy program, a new training resource called Powerful Tools for Caregivers and the Project Lifesaver program."
Ash also honored the partners from the region's eight county Sheriff's offices and their staff who have trained to coordinate the Project Lifesaver program locally in each county.
P
roje
ct Lifesa
ver is a rapid response search and rescue service, using state of the art technologies to prevent or reduce the potential of harm to individuals suffering from Alzheimer's, Down Syndrome, Autism, traumatic brain injuries, and cognitive impairments. These individuals may tend to wander away from their residences and become confused or lost.
Click here to learn more.
The AAA8 Regional Advisory Council (RAC) serves as a liaison between Seniors and their local County Councils on Aging. The RAC is formed of representatives from those County Councils on Aging and other AAA8 appointees.
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Get Help with Heating Bills
As the nights grow colder, home heating assistance is available for elders with low or modest incomes.
The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency's Office of Community Assistance. It is designed to help eligible low-income Ohioans meet the high costs of home heating.
If you are eligible for assistance, the amount of your one-time HEAP benefit will depend on:
1) federal funding levels,
2) how many people live with you,
3) total household income ($20,790 max income for single households, or $28,035 for couples),
4) and the primary fuel you use to heat your home.
In most cases, the one-time benefit will be a credit applied to your energy bill by your utility company (or fuel vendor). The one-time benefit is typically credited in January depending on when an individual applies for assistance.
Applications are available online and through a number of community organizations, including Community Action Agencies and the Buckeye Hills Area Agency on Aging 8 (AAA8). Applications may be submitted anytime from now through June 30, 2017.
"Contact our office for more details on this and other programs that may assist seniors or those with disabilities," said Rick Hindman, Buckeye Hills Asst. Executive Director & Acting AAA8 Director. "Our staff is available to help seniors understand eligibility requirements and complete benefit applications - especially for those who are homebound."
Older adults and people with disabilities who wish to apply for the program should call one of the Community Action Agency partners below, depending on the county where they live:
- Athens, Hocking & Perry: HAPCAP at 1-800-686-1093
- Meigs: Gallia-Meigs CAP at 1-800-282-0880
- Monroe & Noble: GMN at 740-472-0828 or 740-732-2388
- Washington and Morgan: Washington-Morgan CAP at 740-373-3745
For more information about HEAP, call the Ohio Development Services Agency at 1-800-282-0880 or 1-800-686-1557 (TDD line for hearing impaired clients).
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Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District
740-374-9436 | 1400 PIke St. - Marietta, OH 45750 |
www.buckeyehills.org
Misty Casto: Executive Director
Buckeye Hills is organized as a voluntary organization of local government political subdivisions to foster cooperative efforts in regional planning, and implementing of regional plans and programs.
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