WARREN — Gov. Mike DeWine today will announce how much money will be awarded for what are called transformational projects in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties.

The $155.7 million worth of projects on requests for investments in downtown and riverfront revitalization, health care and workforce development were announced with fanfare in December. In all, there are 41 projects proposed – including 17 in Mahoning and 10 in Trumbull.

DeWine’s office said the governor would be in Geneva and Warren today to announce more than $50 million in grants “to fund transformational economic development projects in Ohio’s Appalachian region.”

DeWine has made several stops in the past couple of months to announce about $500 million in Appalachian Community Grant Program funding with the money coming to Ohio from the Democratic-supported federal American Rescue Plan.

DeWine, a Republican, announced $152 million in Appalachian waterfront projects Monday and $154 million May 1 in the southern part of the state.

He was in Campbell on March 22 to unveil a $10.5 million Appalachian health care grant for the city’s health and community development center. It was by far the largest Appalachian health care grant in the state.

Today’s announcement will be considerably less than the two other grant awards made earlier this month with more than $50 million being the number given by DeWine’s office.

Jim Kinnick, executive director of Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, the lead applicant for the $155.7 million request, said Wednesday, “We’re not hearing a lot. We’ve been kept in the dark about the projects. Nobody will let us know what projects are getting funded.”

DAM FUNDING

DeWine and Anne Vogel, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency director, today will also announce a “separate grant to support water quality and improve recreational opportunities on the Mahoning River,” according to the governor’s office.

Kinnick said it is a $5 million grant to remove the Main Street dam in Warren, near the Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. plant.

“The goal has been to return the river to its free-flowing natural state,” Kinnick said.

The project would start next year and be done in early 2026, he said.

Eastgate has worked to remove the nine dams along the Mahoning River in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, Kinnick said.

So far, the dams in Struthers and Lowellville have been removed.

Projects will start this year to remove the Summit Street dam in Warren and two dams in Youngstown, one by the Marshall Street Bridge and the other on Crescent Street.

There are plans to demolish the Leavittsburg Dam and one by the Center Street Bridge in Youngstown starting in 2025 and be finished the following year.

The remaining dam is in Girard and is estimated to cost $10 million, Kinnick said.

Have an interesting story? Contact David Skolnick by email at dskolnick@vindy.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @dskolnick.