Yearly Archives: 2016

On Wednesday, February 17, 2016, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) Board voted to award a $1.5 million Housing Development Loan (HDL) for the adaptive reuse of the Nelsonville School Commons in Nelsonville, Athens County. The development will convert the former Nelsonville High School and Junior High into 15 one-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom units in a three-story elevator building. Units will be developed by The Woda Group, Inc. and will be affordable to households at or below 60% AMGI.

Ohio EPA received another round of test results today from homeowners in the village of Sebring who asked to have their tap water tested and 94 of the 97 samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead. Ohio EPA ordered the village of Sebring on January 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received.

Ohio EPA received another round of test results today from homeowners in the village of Sebring who asked to have their tap water tested and 84 of the 87 samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead. Ohio EPA ordered the village of Sebring on January 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received

Proposed rules for public drinking water systems and laboratories on the reporting and monitoring of harmful algal blooms (HABs) will be the focus of a Feb. 24, 2016, Ohio EPA public hearing.

Ohio EPA received another round of test results today from homeowners in the village of Sebring who asked to have their tap water tested and all 15 samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead. Ohio EPA ordered the village of Sebring on January 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received.

This week, Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11), introduced The Low-Income Sewer and Water Assistance Program Act of 2016 to address dramatic increases in water and wastewater rates. Co-sponsored by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13), Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-3), Congressman John Conyers (MI-13), Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-5), and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), the Act directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a pilot program awarding at least ten federal grants to assist low-income households in maintaining sanitation services.

“By staying U.S. EPA’s Clean Power Plan, the Supreme Court got it right. The State of Ohio has pointed out the serious legal shortcomings of the federal Clean Power Plan on numerous occasions. We will evaluate the decision and determine how it will impact our plans moving forward.”

Congressman Tim Ryan today votes in favor of the Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act (HR4470) – which he introduced with Congressmen Dan Kildee (D-MI) and Fred Upton (R-MI) last week. This bill is in response to safe drinking water emergencies like we are seeing in Sebring, Ohio and Flint, Michigan. It passed the House by a vote of 416 – 2.

Ohio EPA today issued a notice of violation to the village of Sebring for failure to correctly communicate recent test results and guidance to those homeowners who requested voluntary water sampling and failing to submit its required weekly report on water chemistry. A copy of that violation can be viewed here.

Ohio EPA received another round of test results today from homeowners in the village of Sebring who asked to have their tap water tested and 169 of the 180 samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead. Ohio EPA ordered the village of Sebring on January 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received.

Ohio EPA received another round of test results today from homeowners in the village of Sebring who asked to have their tap water tested and 144 of the 150 samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead. Ohio EPA ordered the village of Sebring on January 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received.

Working to protect the drinking water in Michigan, Ohio, and other states, Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) yesterday co-sponsored an amendment he helped to negotiate with Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) designed to address lead exposure to drinking systems around the country. The amendment was the product of bipartisan negotiations over the last week, and would help Flint, Michigan and other states that have emergency water crises. Portman issued the following statement

Recent water samples taken by the village of Sebring for homeowners who asked to have their tap water tested show lead levels in most homes are below the federal allowable limit. Of the 54 water samples collected from 53 homes since Ohio EPA required the village to continue to offer testing of residential water on Jan. 21, 2016, 54 samples tested below the federal allowable level.

Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) joined Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI) and Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) today in introducing the Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act in response to safe drinking water emergencies like we are seeing in Sebring, Ohio and Flint, Michigan

Today, the House Energy and Power Subcommittee held a hearing on Congressman Bill Johnson’s (R-Marietta) Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act (BRICK Act). The legislation will officially be introduced this week.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, requested information from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about foreclosure-prevention options available to homeowners through the Distressed Asset Stabilization Program

The City of Geneva will install a new metering system for residential and commercial water meters while making use of a low-interest loan from Ohio EPA. Geneva will replace obsolete city-owned water meters with a new automated meter reading system. The improvements will assure accurate billing and provide reliable water delivery.

Niles will rehabilitate, expand and upgrade its wastewater treatment plant to increase wet weather storage and treatment capacity using a loan from Ohio EPA. The project will improve water quality in the Mahoning River.

Extensive water samples taken by Ohio EPA Sunday evening at three local schools near Sebring show that 121 of the 123 samples are below the federal allowable level, and those that were above the federal allowable level are contained to drinking water fountains, not the incoming water supply to the building.

In 2015, residential real estate experienced its best year since the Great Recession ended in 2009. Although inventory could still use a jolt, demand was healthy throughout the year and there was enough supply to keep the engine strong.