We were thrilled to see the big celebration and even more excited to see the cooperative effort that came with the application process for a regional application seeking a huge piece of the Appalachian Community Grant Program pie.

Eastgate Regional Council of Governments and other local economic development organizations on Dec. 8 officially submitted application for nearly $160 million of the $500 million in grant money set aside for use in 32 Ohio counties designated as part of Appalachia.

The local grant application is seeking $159 million to help fund transformational projects in Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana and even Ashtabula counties.

From downtown development and infrastructure improvements to financial support for business incubators and health care to riverfront revitalization and workforce development, the request to the Appalachian Community Grant Program would, if fully funded, benefit 30 communities here.

As we have consistently argued in this space, we enthusiastically support regional approaches to governance, development and growth.

Admittedly, we aren’t sure how this massive request seeking nearly 32% of the state grant will be viewed, but officials at Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, the lead applicant, and other regional partners are enthusiastic and optimistic that this is the right approach.

Grant awards are expected to be announced in February, and the projects must be delivered by October 2026.

Jim Kinnick, executive director of Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, praised the groups for their support and cooperation.

“It’s unique when you get regional partners to come together with a unified vision, working together and then understanding the priorities to make that vision work, and then continue to move toward projects that will help that priority be successful,” Kinnick said.

Let us be clear: we are pleased to see the cooperative effort.

But we also are realistic, and we have lived in this community a long time. Simply put, that means we also are very aware of the parochialism that exists among communities and local government. We can’t overlook the fact that local leaders very recently were handed once-in-a-generation opportunities to join hands and efforts by spending millions and millions of dollars in federal ARP funds on projects that could have been transformational for our entire Valley. We repeatedly called for the communities to have a vision and to think BIG.

Sadly, that did not happen, and instead, we’ve watched helplessly as those funds were trickled away on small projects or purchases that, frankly, will leave no or only a minimal lasting impression.

But now, we are being given another chance. If successful, the Appalachian grant application, likewise, could be a game-changer for our Valley. That’s why we were so excited to see Eastgate take the helm on this application, steering it as a regional effort.

We can’t help but wonder why is it that economic development experts in our Mahoning Valley can have a shared vision for the future, and work in tandem on projects that could be transformational for northeast Ohio, yet government officials here, in Columbus and in Washington, can’t seem to row together?

We aren’t naive enough to think all these community leaders will be as warm and fuzzy about the regional grant attempt, should it not be fully funded. Poor, self-serving, narrow-minded attitudes among Valley communities must not stand. It’s time we stop thinking as a group of individuals and start thinking as a region that can offer so much to businesses who want to build here and residents who want to live here.

Success for one must be viewed as success for the whole.