Hollingsworth Consulting was honored to celebrate alongside State and Community leaders at the Great Guernsey Trail Extension & Turner Avenue Trailhead Groundbreaking. This $4.57 million project, funded by the Appalachian Community Grant Program (ACGP), was among those prioritized by the steering committee with our guidance.
Hollingsworth’s involvement began when the Cambridge Guernsey County Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) received a State of Ohio Appalachian Community Grant Program (ACGP) Technical Assistance Grant, with Hollingsworth Consulting serving as Project Manager. The grant's purpose was to plan the development application for the Ohio Department of Development’s ACGP, a new program without precedent.
Initially, nearly 30 projects were proposed. A diverse and passionate group of stakeholders considered these distinctly different projects, and the steering committee established an initial vision. Our firm effectively explained the funding guidelines to stakeholders and facilitated their review of projects against the ACGP scoring rubric to eliminate those that didn’t meet the requirements. After this initial elimination phase, Hollingsworth Consulting guided the steering committee in identifying and developing desired outcomes. The firm then helped the committee use measurable data to prioritize the remaining projects and gain consensus on which ones would be submitted for ACGP funding.
“Hollingworth Consulting’s ability to help our steering committee understand and adapt when program requirements were added or revised putting two of our high priority projects at risk,” was most helpful, said Bill Arnett, Executive Director for the CIC. “The firm provided innovative facilitation and support that resulted in combining the two at-risk projects into one that met the altered program requirements and expectations and was funded by the Ohio Department of Development’s ACGP.”
Beyond this specific funding, other projects are also moving forward thanks to our work in aligning stakeholder perspectives to define and clarify the goals for their initiative. Arnett further elaborated, “Hollingsworth Consulting’s facilitation of meetings with the CIC Steering Committee brought this diverse group to consensus, collaboration, and alignment.”
He went on to share, “The guidance the firm provided to help the committee interpret data and to be adaptable and agile when changes in the ACGP requirements occurred, yielded results beyond expectation.”
You can read more about the project at these community links.