News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 1999

ODNR NOW ACCEPTING MARINE PATROL GRANT PROPOSALS -- FUNDING INCREASED
TO $500,000 TO SUPPORT LOCAL ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS

COLUMBUS, OH -- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is accepting applications for Marine Patrol Assistance Grants to help fund marine law enforcement patrol efforts on Ohio waterways. Coordinated by the ODNR Division of Watercraft, Marine Patrol Grants totaling $500,000 are available to law enforcement agencies, including local police and sheriff departments with waterway jurisdictions.

Grants are awarded on a cost-share basis, with the grant recipient providing at least 25 percent of the total project costs. The funding supports new and existing marine patrol programs that provide personnel, training and other necessary resources for agencies to conduct marine law enforcement on local waterways.

Funding for the program was increased by $150,000 to a total of $500,000 for 2000, as a result of a reformulation of the state gasoline tax allocated to Ohio's Waterways Safety Fund. The reformulation, supported by Governor Bob Taft and the Ohio General Assembly, will provide an additional $3,500,000 to the Waterway Safety Fund this year. In addition to the Marine Patrol Assistance Grants, the fund supports the ODNR Division of Watercraft's capital improvements and education grant programs.

Applications for the 1999 Marine Patrol Grants must be received by Friday, December 17, 1999. For an informational packet containing project guidelines and an application, call (614) 265-6677 or write to ODNR Division of Watercraft, 4435 Fountain Square Drive, Columbus, OH 43224-1386.

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For Further Information Contact:
Dennis Evans, Division of Watercraft
(614) 265-6695