JEFFERSON — Ashtabula County’s preapplications for Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) money didn’t make the cut, but there was still hope the county would get a chunk of the $500,000 pie as the clock ticked toward midnight Tuesday, the end of the fiscal year.

Kathy M. Zook, ARC program manager for Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, said Monday afternoon that she was working with Ashtabula County Medical Center in a last-minute effort to bring some of the ARC 2009 funding into Ashtabula County. ACMC wants the money to purchase equipment, according to Zook. ACMC’s vice president of development, Tina Stasiewski, said the hospital submitted its application and it has been accepted for review by the governor’s ARC office, all in a matter of 24 hours.

“It’s all clinical, patient-care equipment,” Stasiewski said.

She said the hospital’s total request is $500,000, but because of the match requirement, ARC’s maximum contribution to fund the acquisitions would be only $250,000.

Zook and Eastgate’s

Executive Director John Getchey and Rachel McCartney, community development program manager, brought an informational meeting to the county Monday afternoon to acquaint eligible entities with ARC and other federal funding programs. Zook said the preapplications for 2010 funding will be available in a couple of weeks, and Eastgate wanted villages, cities, townships, libraries, schools, port authorities and nonprofit agencies to be thinking about possible ARC projects.

In the meantime, Zook was fishing for projects that could qualify for fiscal year 2009’s allocation.

“We really want to find a project in Ashtabula,” Zook said after a meeting. “You’re not out of the water yet.”

“The goal this year is to get at least one project funded in each county,” said John Getchey, Eastgate’s executive director.

Ashtabula, Trumbull and Mahoning counties were added to ARC in October 2008 because of their high rates of poverty and unemployment. Ashtabula County is ranked as “transitional,” which requires a 50 percent match for any funding request. The match can come from state funds, community development block grants and certain federal funds, as long as the combination of funding does not exceed 80 percent of the project’s cost.

ARC’s goals include increasing job opportunities and per capita income, and improving Appalachia’s infrastructure to improve economic competitiveness. To be considered for ARC funding, projects must address these goals. Applicants can apply for up to $250,000 for the following kinds of programs:

n Projects that help communities create and retain businesses and jobs;

n Help communities develop an educated, skilled workforce;

n Create access to affordable, quality health care; and

n Support the development and improvement of infrastructure.

Zook said the 2010 program will be announced in July and August, at which time two-page preapplications will be received. A statewide meeting will be held in September to review the preapplications; applicants that make the first cut will be required to submit a full application. A decision on those applications should be known by November 2009. Eastgate has been chosen to prioritize and submit the applications from the three counties.

Because this is the first year for the ARC program in the region and the counties were not added until late last year, the process has been compressed for this fiscal year, said Zook.

The Eastgate presentation also included a short section on the Economic Development Administration (EDA), a federal program that encourages private capital investment in the nation’s most economically distressed regions. The program is heavily used in Ashtabula County. Three of the four projects overseen by Eastgate and which use EDA money are in Ashtabula County, said Rachel McCartney, program manager. Four of the 14 priority-ranked projects for future EDA money are in the county, as well.

online: eastgatecog.org