Almost $300,000 is coming to Seneca County to address blighted properties.
Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz said Seneca Regional Planning received a $296,000 grant from the Ohio Attorney General's Office Moving Ohio Forward Demolition Grant Program. The grant application was a collaboration between Jill Griffin, executive director of Seneca Regional Planning; Karen Bowers, Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corp. director of development; and employees of the Seneca County General Health District.
Bowers said the grant is significant because it does not require a local match for projects, unlike future rounds through the program. The deadline to complete the projects is Dec. 31, 2013, and Bowers expects the county will apply for it again after projects are complete.
Montz said seven to 10 condemned properties in Tiffin could be removed with the grant. Most of the removal may be achieved with controlled burns by
the Tiffin Fire Department, which would reduce costs and be used to train firefighters.
Montz said he was excited about the potential to eliminate some "eyesores" in the community and potentially contribute to an increase in property values, as well as a source of firefighter training.
Bowers said there were many political entities which provided a list of properties to be considered by the grant. She said regional planning will work with the list to see which properties could best be addressed with the funding available.
