Blueprint Communities Coming to West Virginia!

Ten West Virginia communities progressing toward renewal have been selected to participate in the 2007 Blueprint Communities leadership and revitalization initiative. Participants will be announced on March 12 at West Virginia Rising, an event at the state capitol celebrating a new day for community development in West Virginia. Governor Manchin will deliver the keynote address.

“Many West Virginia communities are poised to make big strides in community development,” said John Bendel, director of Community Investment at FHLBank Pittsburgh. “Blueprint Communities can capture momentum, helping certain communities sustain that progress.”

The ten communities were chosen from among 26 referrals of communities made late last year. Program partners selected the communities based on very specific criteria that determined whether communities were at the appropriate point in their development to benefit from training and assistance provided.

Community teams consist of eight members and include leaders from local government, community-based organizations, business and youth, as well as a representative from a member financial institution of FHLBank Pittsburgh.

Each participating community will receive benefits totaling more than $15,000:

• Five days of core community revitalization training led by highly regarded professional trainers, including materials, meals and lodging.
• A one-day housing capacity and technical training workshop.
• A community profile – a demographic and planning report that includes key indicators and trends.
• A matching mini-grant for technical assistance, project implementation and/or predevelopment needs after successful involvement in Blueprint Communities.
• Funding opportunities and strengthened relationships and communication between local leaders and funding source representatives.

The decision to take Blueprint Communities to West Virginia was an easy one for FHLBank Pittsburgh, architect of the initiative. In 2005, 22 Pennsylvania communities came together for community revitalization training that produced some outstanding results. Not only did participating communities develop comprehensive plans for revitalization, but they built critical relationships with funders and other supportive organizations. Many communities have put their plans into action and are breaking ground on housing and economic development projects, strengthening infrastructure and creating lots of pride in their communities.

FHLBank Pittsburgh plans to take Blueprint Communities to Delaware in 2008.