HARPERSFIELD TOWN-SHIP —
Commissioners on Tuesday postponed their usual work sessions and agenda to host the monthly board meeting of the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium.
The event was held at Spire Institute Tuesday afternoon and drew board members from northeast Ohio’s 12 counties, including Ashtabula. Commissioner Peggy Carlo represents the county on the consortium, which has 33 member organizations.
The purpose of the consortium is to help ensure that the region is sustainable and resilient, and that those things that residents value most about it are preserved and protected. It is funded by a $4.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of the federal Sustainable Communities Initiative. Participating counties and organizations pledge in-kind services as their local match to the effort.
Carlo said the expenses and manpower that went into hosting the meeting and a pre-meeting tour of the county will count toward that in-kind commitment from Ashtabula County. Board members spent 2 1/2 hours Tuesday morning visiting several key projects between Harpersfield and Ashtabula via a bus tour.
“We were trying to show them some of the projects that feature sustainability and smart growth,” said Brian Anderson, executive director of Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County, one of the local professionals who hosted the tour.
“We had a great tour,” Carlo said. “People were amazed at the diversity.”
Projects highlighted included the 534 Corridor Plan, downtown Geneva revitalization, SPIRE Institute, Grand Valley wine region, Harpersfield dam/covered bridge and Bridge Street/Point Park.
Mark Winchell of the Ashtabula County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Dawn Gates of the Ashtabula County Department of Planning and Community Services partnered with Anderson to present the tour.
Hunter Morrison, a Mahoning County resident and executive director of the consortium, said the most impressive part of the tour was, to him, learning about the micro-climate that makes the Grand River Valley region ideal for wine production.
He said Ashtabula County has already benefited from membership in the consortium, which has been active for a little over a year. The Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, one of the members, digitized all of the county’s land use and zoning maps and made them available on the consortium’s website, cat.neoscc.org. Maps from the other counties are online, as well, as Eastgate’s in-kind contribution.
“It’s really about delivering value to the region by using the tools we already have,” Morrison said.
Next month representatives from the consortium will be in Ashtabula County to collect experiences and opinions of residents involved in the housing industry. The research is part of a regional analysis of impediments to fair housing choice study the consortium is conducting. The Ashtabula County meeting is 3 p.m. Nov. 15 in the commissioners’ meeting room of the old courthouse.
“We will be back in the county several times to engage citizens and stakeholders to look at what are the opportunities for Ashtabula County and the three counties along the eastern border, as a whole,” he said.
Morrison said the group also has launched a new website, vibrantneo.org,that reflects the theme of the group’s engagement process: learn, share, create and act.
Carlo said she feels that Ashtabula County can benefit from the regional focus of the consortium, especially when it comes to issues like transportation.
“It’s a privilege to serve on this board,” she said.
Local News
Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium meets with commissioners
- Local News
-
-
Boaters gather in Ashtabula Harbor to pray for safe season
Safety on the water was the over arching theme of the 64th Annual Blessing of the Fleet Saturday evening in Ashtabula Harbor.
-
The earth will occasionally move under Ashtabula County
When the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 leveled Missouri, the shock waves were strong enough to ring church bells in New York and break windows in Washington D.C. People in southern Ohio fled from their cabins. Closer to the quake’s epicenter, earth liquefied, sand volcanoes popped up and rivers appeared to run backwards. It was the first recorded magnitude 8.0 earthquake in North America, and to this day the strongest. Seismologists agree it could happen again. Some believe it could happen any time within the next 50 years.
-
Fishing derby draws hundreds to Conneaut
Two-year-old Mark Miller, of Wooster, wasn’t quite sure what to make of his success Saturday during the fishing derby at the Conneaut Fish and Game Club.
-
Monthly cruise-ins are an outlet for car enthusiasts in Andover
It all began 15 years ago when four young families got together and decided to form a group to share their love of cars with others and give back to the community.
-
Tradition draws thousands to Kingsville Township lawn sale
Parking spaces disappeared quickly Saturday morning as crowds began to gather for the 39th Annual Kingsville Lawn Sale.
-
Fifth man in Ashtabula murder case pleads guilty to kidnapping
Now it’s five out of six.
-
Walnut Beach restrooms and concessions will be ready in time for summer
They are working on the restrooms at the Walnut Beach concession stand in preparation for the summer season, but the city still is looking for a concessionaire, City Manager Jim Timonere said.
-
Catholic community saddened by loss of the Rev. Charles Poore
The Catholic community is mourning the loss the Rev. Charles Poore, who lost his battle with cancer Thursday.
-
A bit of the farm may come to Ashtabula's Main Avenue
Rich red tomatoes, bright green peppers and farm fresh eggs — this is what the Downtown Ashtabula Farmers’ Market envisions for Main Avenue.
-
Blessing of the Fleet is tonight at Ashtabula Harbor Public Dock
The tradition of blessing area mariners began more than 60 years ago in the Ashtabula Harbor.
- More Local News Headlines
-
