Staff photo / Ed Runyan From left, Walter Duzzny Sr. stands by while Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center supervisor Michael Crosby thanks the Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve program for honoring him with the Patriot Award. Also in the photo are Crosby’s mother, Linda Noday, and Mahoning County Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick. The recognition was given at Thursday’s county commissioners meeting.

YOUNGSTOWN — A division of the U.S. military honored Michael Crosby, a supervisor at the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center, on Thursday for his support of an Air Force reservist who works for him.

At the Mahoning County Commissioners meeting, Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick praised Crosby for the way he does “a difficult job” as second shift supervisor at the facility. “He has been a great asset to the center,” she said.

Crosby was honored by the military’s Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve after U.S. Air Force Reservist Brandon Mitchell wrote a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Defense thanking Crosby for his support of Mitchell as a reservist.

Walter Duzzy Sr., former director of Mahoning County Emergency Management, Homeland Security and 911 center, was part of the presentation at the county commissioners meeting Thursday. Duzzny now works as ESGR outreach director for Ohio.

During the award ceremony, Duzzny explained that the role of the ESGR is to “gain and retain support of employers, both in the public and private sector, for men and women serving in our active Reserves or the National Guard.”

Sometimes it creates “friction” when a reservist or guardsman takes leave for active duty in the military, Duzzny said. The ESGR tries to make the loss of the employee as painless as possible, he said.

Micthell’s letter prompted the military to honor Crosby with the Patriot Award. A letter informing Crosby he would be receiving the award thanked him for supporting Mitchell’s Reserve commitments.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginnetti and Jackson Township Trustee Tom Frost talked about the $4 million that a U.S. House of Representatives committee approved a week ago to pay for improvements to the industrial corridor along Mahoning Avenue, Bailey Road and Rosemont Road in Jackson Township.

The bill still needs votes from both the full House and Senate before financing is official.

The project will be on Mahoning Avenue from state Route 45 to Duck Creek Road and on Rosemont Road from Mahoning Avenue to Blott Road.

“We’ve been working on this corridor for several years,” Ginnetti said. “When this opportunity came up, it was a great collaboration of county, township and federal government to pull it all together, Ginnetti said, mentioning U.S. Rep Tim Ryan, D-13th of Howland.

Among the improvements will be to widen the roads and then time the traffic lights to make traffic flow better through the area. Also expected are improvements to pedestrian traffic such as cross walks. There are increasing numbers of pedestrians traveling between buildings because of business expansions, Ginnetti said.

Mom’s Meals, for instance, has added to the pedestrian traffic on Bailey Road, Ginnetti said.

Frost worked hard under a tight deadline to acquire letters of support required for the application, Ginnetti said.

“It is so needed,” Ginnetti said of the road improvements, which will “tie together” the expansion at the Macy’s warehouse companies such as Mom’s Meals and Liberty Steel, as well as businesses on Rosemont Road “that desperately need that road to be constructed to handle industrial traffic.”

Ginnetti said the project also “pulls together the Lordstown corridor as well, so it’s a big win for our community.”

Frost said, “To get $4 million for an industrial corridor is huge for Jackson Township. We’ve had tons of new business out there, and it’s still coming, and we don’t have the infrastructure for it.”

Sheriff Jerry Greene also discussed an application for $1.4 million through the state to make improvements at the Mahoning County jail. About $1.1 would be used to upgrade the software for the security system that controls the locks and other security aspects of the jail.

The security system was original with the jail when it was built in 1995, though it has had some updates, Greene said.

The other $300,000 would be used to upgrade a “vacuum” system that keeps the sewage flowing through the plumbing at the jail.