Dream Big, Tiffin process asks residents to provide their feedback through January 22

TIFFIN, OHIO – Jan. 6, 2021 – On behalf of the City of Tiffin, Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership (TSEP) is excited to announce that the top ten community development project proposals submitted in the fall Dream Big, Tiffin initiative have been posted online will be reviewed by a committee of community development leaders at the end of this month. TSEP is asking the public to go to dreambigtiffin.com to provide their feedback through January 22.

In the fall of 2020, for the first time in the city’s history, anyone was able to submit proposals and ideas via a new online portal at TSEP’s website. When the two-month open submission period was over, ten full project proposals with details and budgets had been submitted in the areas of Quality of Life (arts, parks, recreation), Health & Human Services, and Education & Training. In addition, 34 ideas were submitted for consideration to be developed into proposals.

Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz said, “I am thrilled to be entering the next phase of this initiative and to get the feedback of the community on these great project ideas. No other community in our region right now is pursuing such an innovative strategy to engaging area residents and stakeholders in community development.”

Following the public feedback period, two separate committees or “panels” in each area will evaluate and classify each of the project proposals as “priority,” “recommended,” or “reviewed” based on a number of factors and criteria, including impact, feasibility, maturity, sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and public support.

The panels’ recommendations for prioritization will then be taken to a larger Tiffin Community Development Committee, which will finalize the classifications and the overall project list and then share those recommendations with local and state elected officials, as well as foundations and other sources of grant funding. TSEP will provide support by assisting high priority projects in obtaining funding as well as further developing project ideas into project proposals.

State Senator Bill Reineke strongly supports the Dream Big, Tiffin process, saying, “I appreciate that the community is working collaboratively to identify, develop, and prioritize the most important projects. This work is very helpful to me as I work hard to bring more state resources back to the district.”

Whereas economic development focuses primarily on for-profit, private investment and job creation, community development focuses mostly on public facilities, services, and programs to improve the community’s quality of life, health and wellness and educational resources.

Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership, formerly SIEDC, has been involved with community development inside the city of Tiffin since 1990, originally with housing programs and over the last couple of years as the administrator of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and manager of the downtown Main Street program. The “Dream Big Tiffin” program seeks to increase community engagement, identify and develop more and better project proposals, secure more funding, and thereby improve the quality of life in Tiffin.

About the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership

Started in 1983 as the Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC), the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to driving positive economic, downtown, and community development in Tiffin and Seneca County, Ohio, which consistently ranks among the top communities nationally for economic development. Learn more about the great things going on in Tiffin and Seneca County at www.tiffinseneca.org.