The focus is on Ohio’s fiscal future

The Ohio Urban University Program (UUP) will present the fifth in a series of discussions with experts on timely topics affecting the fiscal future of the State of Ohio. The forum, entitled "Financing Water Infrastructure," will be held on Tuesday, June 2 at The Athletic Club of Columbus, Parlor D Second Floor, 136 East Broad Street, Columbus, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. There will be a reception immediately following. Check-in for the forum begins at 3:30 p.m.

The forum is designed to provide national and statewide insight on the state of the economic crisis, the current strategies circulating to address the crisis, and the implications on state and local fiscal and economic conditions.

Every day, citizens and businesses rely on water infrastructure to support their lives and livelihoods. Water is fundamental to both our ability to survive and our ability to build a thriving economy. Unfortunately, however, we as a society are not paying the full costs for those services, as the US EPA estimates a large gap between our water infrastructure needs and our current investments in water infrastructure.

This forum will explore water infrastructure needs and financing mechanisms both nationally and in Ohio. We will overview current state and national needs and funding means, and discuss ideas and approaches for enabling Ohio to finance and use its water resources more effectively in the future.

Our expert panelists possess well over a half-century of experience in the study and practice of water infrastructure financing and management. They also bring a range of experiences from the national, state and local levels. They include:

Welcome Remarks:
Kevin O’Brien, Director, Ohio Urban University Program, Executive Director, The Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center, Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University

Moderator:
John Hoornbeek, Ph.D., Director, Center for Public Administration and Public Policy, Kent State University

Panelists:

Ken Kirk, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). NACWA is a nationally-recognized leader in environmental policy and a technical resource on water quality and ecosystem protection issues.

Steve Grossman, Executive Director, Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA). The OWDA was created in 1968 as the nation’s first environmental infrastructure bank, and since that time, has made over 4,000 loans totaling more than $8.5 billion.

Bill Jarocki, Director, Boise State University Environmental Finance Center, one of Nine university-based centers established by the US EPA to help create sustainable environmental systems in the public and private sectors. The Boise EFC is based in US EPA Region 10, and is committed to helping the regulated community build and improve the technical, managerial, and financial capabilities needed to comply with federal and state environmental protection laws.

The UUP Forums in Columbus are presented by the Ohio Urban University Program (UUP), a program of the University System of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly. The UUP is a unique network that links the resources of Ohio's urban universities with the communities and students they serve in a cooperative effort to boost economic development efforts in the state's urban regions. UUP universities are Cleveland State University, The University of Akron, The University of Cincinnati, Kent State University, The Ohio State University, The University of Toledo, Wright State University, and Youngstown State University.

The forums are presented free of charge, but registration is required. Please register at www.urban.csuohio.edu/uup/.

For additional information or questions about registration, contact Barbara Benevento at b.benevento@csuohio.edu or 216.687.2188.

For additional information or questions about the UUP Forum Programs in Columbus, contact Claudette Robey at c.robey@csuohio.edu or 216.687.2188.

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