Around 200 of Dayton’s leaders in economic development, health care, education and government flew to the nation’s capital this week. They’re meeting with federal legislators, advocating for funding community projects.
The team has more than 100 well planned opportunities that if funded will benefit Dayton-area residents, said Jeff Hoagland, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition.
"For example, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base there is the acquisition Phase Five project. It is for the Lifecycle Management Center to engineer and design a new building. In the economic development section, the city of West Carrollton submitted a project for development around the riverfront," Hoagland said. "There's also one in health care quality of life from a food bank to a grocery store on the west side of Dayton."
Area groups wanting federal support submit their projects to the Dayton Region Priority Development and Advocacy Committee.
They’re vetted, and those with the highest scores are presented to federal legislators.
According to Hoagland, a strong project must score high in key areas. The committee is looking at factors like if the projects bring new jobs to the area, if they match the region's priorities and where the project stands with raising money.
"How much money are you bringing to the table? If it's a $50 million project and you only have $3 million raised, the likelihood of you getting funding isn't going to be high because there's still so much more to go," he said. "But if you've got $48 million raised and you need $2 million to get your $50 million, there's a higher likelihood that that project will be scored very well."
Many of these projects have also been presented to state politicians. Next month, the team will find out which projects get federal and state funding, Hoagland said.
