FY2023 Community Project Funding Requests
After receiving hundreds of inquiries and requests, Rep. Kaptur has submitted funding requests for important community projects in Ohio's Ninth District to the House Appropriations Committee.
Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative may request funding for up to 15 projects in their community for fiscal year 2023 – although only a few may actually be funded. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding accounts, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Additional information on the reforms governing Community Project Funding is available here.
LISC Toledo – Community Center and Consumer Financial Counseling (HUD/EDI)
- $4,800,000
- 500 Madison Avenue, Suite 312, Toledo, OH 43604
- LISC and its Toledo office are collaborating with the Toledo Urban Foundation, Inc., to expand program offerings at the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union (TUFCU) and improve the Dorr Street Corridor as part of our people and place-based strategy. LISC has been working with The Foundation to increase access to financial education, products, and services within Toledo Central City, focusing on neighborhoods along the Dorr Street Corridor to bolster homeownership, entrepreneurship, and employment, achieving neighborhood stability. LISC is partnering with The Toledo Urban Foundation, Inc. to close the funding gap in the office expansion and increase services for low-income communities in Toledo, Ohio.
- LISC and Toledo Urban Foundation, Inc. are requesting funds to build additional space dedicated to programming on the Dorr Street Corridor in Toledo, Ohio. The project includes the expansion of the TUFCU Campus by building a two-story 9000-square-foot building. LISC will support the Foundation with project feasibility through the project's life cycle through occupancy. LISC will work with The Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union to align existing program offerings and improve connections to services that would be co-located in the new facility. The space will be programmed to connect residents to financial stability, homeownership, entrepreneurship workshops, and community meeting areas that strengthen resident leadership and civic engagement.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
University of Toledo – Health Sciences Bioresearch Lab (Commerce/NIST)
- $6,887,865
- 3100 Transverse Drive, Toledo, OH 43614
- UT seeks $6.9 million to renovate and more efficiently use its existing BSL3 and other research spaces, which house cutting-edge research projects on the microbiome and biocontainment spaces for deadly Tier 1 Select Agent pathogens like anthrax, plague, and tularemia. Specialized germ-free rooms and equipment are needed to understand how changes in the intestinal microbiome impact cardiovascular disease, mental health, obesity, and other human diseases. The current UToledo Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) facility will be renovated and expanded — more than doubling biocontainment space and adding 5 new suites for expanded BSL3 research studies on COVID-19, influenza, tuberculosis, and other deadly diseases.
- UToledo received $65 million in externally funded research in FY2021, a 70% increase over the last 5 years. However, current BSL3 laboratory limitations hinder new research projects and impede faculty recruitment efforts. The current facility is too small (1,099 ft2 of biocontainment space) and unable to accommodate new faculty or research projects. The BSL3 laboratory is located on the UToledo Health Science Campus (UTHSC), which is home to the College of Medicine and Life Sciences (COMLS). COMLS has over 300 faculty members in 23 academic and clinical departments, representing a wide range of human health disciplines and specialties, including microbiology, immunology, cancer, neurosciences, physiology, and pharmacology. COMLS operates the BSL3 laboratory to work with highly infectious and dangerous pathogens. The BSL3 laboratory contributes to the research mission of the University by advancing basic and translational research and providing cutting-edge technologies for research on biodefense/select agents. This laboratory has been certified by the CDC and continuously operated since 1998. Dr. Jason Huntley has served as Director of the BSL3 laboratory since 2013.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
City of Toledo –Englewood-Junction Neighborhood Revitalization (HUD/EDI)
- $4,000,000
- 640 Jackson Street, Toledo, OH 43604
- EDI Community Project funding is requested to support the revitalization of the Junction-Englewood neighborhoods in the City of Toledo. Strategic goals for the Junction-Englewood neighborhoods are: economic development, workforce training, affordable housing construction, & housing preservation activities funded by EDI and leveraged with DOE grants, ARPA, CDBG, LIHTC equity, and private sector funds.
- Goal 1: Economic Development and Workforce Training
- The Toledo Healthy Homes Training Center (THHTC) at Swayne Field will provide training for Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) providers in northern Ohio. THHTC will facilitate workforce development training opportunities across impacted communities using Green and Healthy Homes Initiative’s integrated service model for healthy and energy efficient housing interventions.
- Goal 2: Housing construction and Preservation
- Creation of 60 new units of affordable housing, repair of 100 roofs, and rehabilitation/resale of single-family properties owned by the Lucas County Land Bank.
- Goal 1: Economic Development and Workforce Training
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Lucas County Land Reutilization Corporation – St. Anthony’s Redevelopment (HUD/EDI)
- $4 million
- One Government Center, Suite 580, Toledo, OH 43604
- The vacant St. Anthony’s building is located in the heart of the Junction Neighborhood, a low-income neighborhood with a majority Black population. After a feasibility study by the Toledo Design Collective and Rudolph-Libbe general contractors was completed in 2020, the property was marketed for redevelopment and a consensus was reached that it would be best used as a community space if redeveloped. The re-opening of St. Anthony’s as a community space will be of significant benefit to the residents of the Junction neighborhood, a neighborhood with far too many vacant and underutilized buildings and lots already.
- The redevelopment of St. Anthony’s will also make a proposed companion senior affordable housing development, immediately north of the St. Anthony’s building on land controlled by the Land Bank, much more likely to be successful. This community project funding will support $3.5 million of necessary capital investment in the 12,575 square foot building and the development of parking at an adjacent site. Funding will also support $0.5 million in operating costs and capital reserve for the first three years following the re-opening.
- To the extent permitted, funding will also support the installation of solar arrays in optimized placement on the roof of St. Anthony’s to help meet the building’s electrical demands. The property is owned by the Land Bank and all parties intend that the multi-purpose community space will be operated by a partnership of the Land Bank and The Junction Coalition, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the Junction neighborhood, whose headquarters is located within one block of the St. Anthony’s site.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity & Toledo Design Collective – Neighborhood Revitalization (HUD/EDI)
- $2,544,559
- 1310 Conant St, Maumee, OH 43537
- Aligning with the City of Toledo’s Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Areas (NRSA), their strategic focus for the next five years will be in the Junction, Englewood, Old South End, and East Toledo/Garfield neighborhoods. This request supports the revitalization efforts in both the Junction and East Toledo Neighborhoods. Funding will be used to help support the creation of new affordable homes for homeownership and for the rehabilitation of existing homes for current LMI homeowners.
- Funding will be used in 2023 to help create new affordable homes for homeownership and for the rehabilitation of existing homes for current LMI homeowners in BOTH the Junction and East Toledo neighborhoods.
- In Junction:
- Create 5 new construction affordable housing units (avg. $220,000 per home)
- Substantially rehab 7 owner occupied homes (avg. $73,000 per home)
- Replace 18 roofs (avg. $12,000 per home)
- In East Toledo:
- Substantially rehab 7 owner occupied homes (avg. $73,000 per home)
- Replace 18 roofs (avg. $12,000 per home)
- In Junction:
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Sandusky State Theatre– Historic Restoration and Reimagined Upgrades (HUD/EDI)
- $2,000,000
- 107 Columbus Ave, Sandusky, OH 44870
- The Sandusky State Theatre project’s total cost is $27 million. The project’s sponsor has raised $20 million and needs to raise an additional $7 million. The funds requested will be used to restore the theatre’s historic auditorium and expand stage programming.
- In June 2020, the historic Sandusky State Theatre was damaged by a natural disaster. Since that time, the theatre’s staff and board of directors have worked to prevent additional damage and rebuild the threatre to its original glory. As the surrounding areas experiences new economic growth, the restoration of the nearly 100-year-old theatre will add to this progress and enhance the vitality of the downtown community. The reimagined theatre is expected to have an economic impact of more than $3 million a year as it brings nationally recognized performances to the City of Sandusky. Additionally, the theatre will offer new youth educational opportunities and serve as a space for community gatherings.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Center for Innovative Food Technology – Smart Kitchen Entrepreneurial Training & Production Facility (HUD/EDI)
- $1,100,000
- 5555 Airport Hwy Suite 100, Toledo, OH 43615
- The project incorporates several facets of programming tailored towards elevating the local food network in Toledo. It is envisioned to utilize an established venue to energize increased attention to and involvement in economic advancement with food as the basis. The benefits will be felt by the residents in the surrounding neighborhoods currently described as low income and underserved. The desire to establish food operations has increased drastically as a result of the pandemic. Through partners, an outlet will be developed that will ensure the advancement of food. A SMART kitchen will be created that will serve in a similar capacity as a ghost kitchen with new technologies and SMART components for increased efficiency. This will also inspire youth to explore the food industry as a future career path. Such a format integrates automation, sensors, and the IoT. The focus will be dual purpose with demonstrating how entrepreneurs can operate effectively and secondly, how the food industry is applying technology into operations.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
City of Port Clinton – Phase 1 Sewer & Waterline Improvements (Interior)
- $4.5 million
- 1868 E. Perry St, Port Clinton, OH 43452
- The City of Port Clinton has $21.7M in Phase 1 sewer & waterline improvements, planned for construction in 2022-2023, with total infrastructure replacement needs of $150M. The sewer improvements will separate sanitary sewer flows from existing combined sewers with the intent to reduce untreated sewage discharge to Lake Erie through a Combined Sewer Overflow as indicated in the City’s USEPA approved Long Term Control Plan. Water improvements will replace aging, undersized, deteriorated waterlines, & lead services. The City has record of interior calcification buildup reducing waterline sizes by 50%, as well as 36 repair records, for the lines being replaced. Both project components are listed on OEPA’s current IUPs for water & sewer loan funding. Numerous public meetings have occurred, with informal surveys, and the City is in need of financial assistance to move forward with this Ph 1 project.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Board of Lucas County Commissioners – Unsewered Areas of Curtice-Williston, OH (Interior)
- $2,532,832
- One Government Center, Ste. 800, Toledo, OH 43604
- An urgent need exists to provide a reliable sanitary sewer system in the unsewered areas of Curtice-Williston, OH. Currently under findings and orders by the Ohio EPA (for additional Health Dept sampling/testing), this area suffers significant health risks due to the discharge of inadequately treated sewage with high levels of bacteria and E.coli. The new sewer system is estimated to cost more than $21 million. Residents would incur sewer rates of more than $200 per month without the support of other funding and grants. This project is the highest priority sewer project in Lucas and Ottawa counties as ranked by Toledo Area Metropolitan Council of Governments (TMACOG) and is listed annually as a critical unsewered area for several decades under Section 208 of the Clean Water Act for the region’s Areawide Water Quality Management Plan. This supports the dire need to address unsanitary conditions and mitigate pollution into the Lake Erie Watershed. The proposed sanitary sewer system is centralized to effectively connect the unsewered areas into the City of Oregon’s sewer system for proper disposal and treatment.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
City of Toledo Police Department – Enhanced Portable Radio Equipment (Justice)
- $1,250,000
- 525 N. Erie St., Toledo, OH 43604
- The entire award from this funding will focus on purchasing Motorola APX6000 portable two-way radios to update the aging inventory of portable two-way radios. Toledo Police currently use two models of Motorola portable radios. The older models have become obsolete and will cease to function in the near future. These items are purchased as a package which includes the radio itself, a lapel speaker/microphone, and a charging dock. Motorola is currently offering the package at roughly $5,000 per unit, and Toledo Police would like to acquire 250 units ($1,250,000). In the event that Motorola would offer a bulk purchase discount, any excess funds would be used to acquire additional radios.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Future Plans – Great Lakes Career Corridor Project (Labor)
- $2 million
- 10680 Robert Lane, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
- Future Plans is requesting Community Project Funding of $2,000,000 to launch the Great Lakes Career Corridor Project (GLCC). The GLCC from Loraine to Toledo is committed to creating new opportunities for new career pathways that start with in-demand, living wage jobs that serve both local employers as well as global employers via remote work. Utilizing the success of the GRIT Project (piloted in Appalachian Ohio) www.GRITOHIO.org as a proof of concept for how to transform regional economies through individual economic empowerment, the GLCC will create opportunities for citizens to take advantage of “new” work opportunities that allow residence to remain in their communities. This effort will use standardized tools and processes proven through The GRIT Project, and executed through grassroots coalitions to: build regional capacity via grassroots coalitions and a pre-qualified database of skilled workers; connect individuals from distressed communities into regional and global jobs that pay a living wage; and align the accountability of training and education programs to actual job creation and placement.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Ohio Aerospace Institute & UToledo – Hydrogen Academic Programs to Enhance the Hydrogen Economy (E&W)
- $3 million
- 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606
- The University of Toledo is leading a consortium of industry, national laboratory, and higher education institutions in the development of a clean nuclear hydrogen hub in Ohio. The consortium will identify gaps in current technician, skilled tradesmen, and engineer training, and devise curriculum, credentials, and programs to train future employees in the technologies and skills needed to safely build and maintain infrastructure for a hydrogen economy. The project develops and expands course offerings at The University of Toledo, Owens Community College, Northwest State Community College, and Cleveland-area institutions of higher education (IHEs) with the assistance of the Ohio Aerospace Institute. The project is driven by the higher education institutions’ and industry’s commitments to decarbonize through the substitution of hydrogen for energy produced by fossil fuels. Participants will work to produce hydrogen from nuclear power stations and solar energy installations to produce ultra-pure hydrogen for use in transportation and industrial applications.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
UTMC – MRI Machine to Advance Neurological Research (HHS)
- $1,996,000
- 3000 Arlington Ave, Toledo, OH 43614
- The University of Toledo Medical Center requests $1.996 million for a dedicated research MRI machine at UTMC to directly support the work of physician scientists to address needs of the vulnerable socially disadvantaged of Northwest Ohio (including its rural western counties). The dedicated research MRI will allow expansion of neuroscience research work at UTMC that has major impact on the local community and attract health care trainees from these disadvantaged communities to gain expertise in neurology and psychiatry at UTMC.
- This research MRI will support the development of a center of excellence in research for social determinants of health in the neurosciences at UTMC. The new research MRI at UTMC will fertilize a very well poised set of researchers who are making advances in mitigating the healthcare disadvantages for vulnerable populations by discovering their causative factors. This discovery research will have direct and immediate benefits to the residents of Northwest Ohio by the availability of cutting edge state-of-the-art neuroimaging for those who need such imaging and providing highest quality research training opportunities to trainees at all levels from undergraduates to post-doctoral fellows and for clinicians who care for patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Neighborhood Health Association of Toledo – Community Pharmacy (HHS)
- $2,636,400
- 12 N. St. Clair Street, Toledo, OH 43604
- A downtown Pharmacy project: For over 50 years, the Neighborhood Health Association has solidly served its mission of providing a wide range of care to anyone who comes to our doors but specifically those uninsured or underinsured in our community. In continued support of that mission, NHA is seeking support in the development of a downtown pharmacy to provide pharmaceutical access to those living in the near downtown area. Some of Toledo’s poorest residents live in this area.
- The neighborhoods targeted by this pharmacy include zip codes 43604, 43620, and near east side, 43605. In addition to a large homeless population, the immediate service area, zip code 43604, is diverse with most of its residents being non-white: 55% identify as Black, non-Hispanic; 11% as Hispanic; 32% as white, non-Hispanic; and 2.8% as one or more other non-Hispanic races. Approximately 2,070 children under the age of 18 live in this zip code comprising 23% of the total population. Children and adults across the area show a need for increased medical, behavioral, and dental health services-all of which require immediate and affordable access to medications.
- The construction of this pharmacy has a direct impact on the availability and affordability of life saving medications for common day diseases that so many of this population are still battling. There is no opportunity for these circumstances to change without access to the inexpensive medications that will be provided in this new pharmacy location. The pharmacy will provide medications to this population through the 340B program. This program allows us to offer those medications most often used by our patients at significantly lower rates than is typically available in a retail pharmacy. Currently, the closest pharmacy to this population is more than 3 miles away and is not easily accessible via foot traffic. NHA owns the building that will house this pharmacy.
- Signed disclosure letter available here
Toledo Tomorrow – Regional Educational Partnership to Advance Early Childhood Reading (DoED)
- $1,050,000
- 425 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 700, Toledo, Ohio 43604
- Lucas County has the highest high-poverty rate in Ohio, and Toledo has the lowest college degree attainment of Ohio’s large cities. Less than 50% of 3rd graders pass the reading proficiency test. Students who do pass are more likely to pass on and graduate from high school and college. With Toledo Tomorrow, partnered with K-12 schools, colleges, and local organizations, schools have seen a significant increase in college admissions and financial aid. It is their intention to increase reading proficiency in Toledo via a 3rd Grade Reading program.
- This program will require staff and will support students through an 8-10-week program. In the Key Steps program, 70% of students attained reading proficiency. To reach as many families as possible, we need to ensure messaging that reaches families and community organizations. With this program we can see similar gains in Toledo and eventually further in NW Ohio. Toledo Tomorrow works with five school districts with over 32,000 students - and a focus on the highest need schools.
- Signed disclosure letter available here