To the editor:
Steubenville is on the threshold of a historic transformation. Having completed our Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant (steubenvillechoice.com), our city is now eligible for a $26 million federal Implementation grant. While $26 million is a massive sum, its true power is its ability to act as a magnet. By securing this grant, we unlock a capital stack of state and federal loans and tax credits totaling over $76 million for the North End.
With careful stewardship, this investment will turn our vision into reality: 256 new or modernized dwellings. Imagine the impact of welcoming 300 new households to our community.
We already possess one of the finest school systems in Ohio, with rankings that consistently catch the eye of invested parents. However, for our city to truly grow, those families need quality places to live. By committing to a mixed-income policy in the North End, we can welcome neighbors from all walks of life. More families mean more foot traffic for local businesses, a stronger tax base and greater prosperity for every resident of Steubenville.
Are you wondering how you can help? To pray for this project is to participate in it. Prayer is not a passive wait; it is the spiritual labor that paves the way for physical change. While the winter chill makes it difficult to gather at the North End pavilion, we can still unite in one accord.
I am asking every citizen to join me in a "unison prayer" at 11:11. Whether it is 11:11 a.m. while you're at work or 11:11 p.m. before you sleep, please take a moment to drop a quick prayer for the city and the North End Choice Neighborhood project.
Join me in this act of faith. By praying together, we aren't just watching a change happen -- we are becoming part of the new thing God is doing in our city.
Tina Thompson
Steubenville