PEORIA, Ill. — As the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council has begun to put together its bi-annual Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, it has asked to hear about projects with long-term potential.
Leading agencies of potential economically-impacting projects in Logan, Mason, Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties have been asked to submit proposals to GPEDC for inclusion in the CEDS.
Applications have traditionally been for construction, technical assistance, or planning.
GPEDC CEO Christopher Setti was careful to notate the end result of this process is not an allocation of funds from the GPEDC.
“We’re just looking for some project narratives. Some information about these projects so we can evaluate them,” said Setti.
“Then we, as the regional entity for economic development, can start seeking out what kind of funding might be available and then connecting communities and their needs with the funding that’s available.”
Setti gave the example of land the City of Havana purchased for an industrial park.
“They were able to put in the first half of the infrastructure. Roads, sewers, and utilities,” he said.
“The second half, they haven’t [been able to fund]. So, they applied to the U.S. Economic Development Administration for a grant to do the second half.
“That’s a perfect example of the kinds of projects we’re trying to unearth, from towns as small as Havana to as large as Peoria. If we can find these sorts of infrastructure projects that lead to job creation, then we can be a direct liaison to the U.S. EDA in Chicago.”
The leading agency of any project submitted for proposal must be a public entity or non-profit organization.
Submission requirements include a cover sheet, executive summary, project narrative, regional context and strategy, estimated economic impact, support and readiness, and long-term sustainability. GPEDC asked proposals not be more than ten pages long.
The proposal deadline was set for Jan. 15, 2020, with a target date of March 2020 for presentations of selected projects.
The official CEDS report, with chosen projects, was scheduled to be released in April of 2020.
