(WXYZ) Grant money will soon be given to several community partnerships to fund projects that create jobs and strengthen communities.
Read Release Below:LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that nine community partnerships have been selected to receive a Centers of Regional Excellence (CRE) grant of up to $25,000 over two years to fund projects that are designed to create jobs, expand tourism and strengthen local communities.
The CRE program, created by the governor in 2006, encourages local governments to work collaboratively to make their communities better places to live, work and play while streamlining government and saving taxpayer dollars.
“Across the state, we have seen examples of cities, villages and townships working together in creative ways to use taxpayer dollars effectively and efficiently,” Granholm said. “In a time when we’re experiencing a national recession, it is more important than ever that communities work together to solve problems and consolidate services.”
The nine projects are located across the state and range from public safety to tourism to community business enhancement.
The grants will be provided through existing community development funds from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).
“The CRE program is an exceptionally good fit with MSHDA’s priorities,” said MSHDA Executive Director Keith Molin. “People working together are the key to building strong vibrant cities and neighborhoods.”
The state received 25 applications with various proposals that were reviewed by a committee of representatives from MSHDA, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG) and several Michigan universities. Proposals included information regarding how funds will be supported by local, in-kind matching investments and a description of how progress will be measured. Priority was given to projects with a greater variety and number of governmental organizations involved in collaboration, likelihood of success, and support of community stakeholders.
In the first round of funding, seven communities received grants for projects that ranged from creation of a system of regional indicator to help with collaboration created by the West Michigan strategic alliance, to creation of a county-wide fiber optic system in Alpena, to consolidation of small transit in Van Buren County and St. Joseph County.
The nine Centers for Regional Excellence designees are:
Aerotropolis (Wayne and Washtenaw Counties; cities of Taylor, Belleville, Romulus, Ypsilanti; townships of Van Buren, Huron, Ypsilanti; Wayne County Port Authority) Local partners will develop the areas encompassing two airports to attract business and create jobs.
Breezeway Collaboration Project (City of East Jordan, Banks Township, Villages of Ellsworth and Atwood) Will create a marketing program to promote their major roadway, to be named the Breezeway, which is often overlooked by tourists.
Cheboygan County Crowdsourcing (Cheboygan County, City of Cheboygan, Townships of Beaugrand, Benton and Inverness) The Cheboygan County’s Intergovernmental Planning Committee will use an innovative technique called “crowdsourcing,” combined with a unique website structure that is both informational and interactive, to increase citizen participation in local government and land use issues.
Community Media Channel (Meridian Township Tri County: Cities of Lansing and E. Lansing, Townships of Meridian, Lansing and Delhi) Will allow area residents the opportunity to create their own public access by merging two cable infrastructures and allowing community media content to be broadcast to the entire tri-county area.
County Public Safety Forensic Team (Antrim County, villages of Bellaire, Central Lake, Elk Rapids, Mancelona) Will allow police personnel training to become certified as a computer forensic investigator, thus resulting in a higher number of arrests and convictions.
Eastern UP Maritime Experience (Sault Ste. Marie, St. Ignace, Eastern UP Regional Planning and Development Commission) Will create a marketing project to create awareness of key maritime-related and cultural tourism attractions.
Genesee County Health Initiative (Genesee County) Will allow the Regional Planning Board of Genesee County to create an outreach program to cater to the health care needs of unserved citizens in the northern tier of Genesee communities.
Van Dyke/8 Mile Gateway (Macomb County, Detroit, Warren, Centerline) Will revitalize a community corridor through targeted activities related to economic development, physical revitalization and social security.
Woodward Avenue Action Association (Wayne and Oakland Counties from Detroit through Bloomfield Hills) Will improve and promote the Woodward Avenue corridor by providing resources of opportunity to prospective developers.
For more information, visit
http://www.michigan.gov/cre
