During his visit to the Mahoning Valley on Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine, center, announces grants which will improve not only water quality but recreational opportunities in communities along the Mahoning River. Standing in the background, from left, are state Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield; Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown; and Struthers Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller.

WARREN — The state is investing more than $14.2 million into what are being called transformational economic development projects in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, mostly in communities that dot the Mahoning River.

Five projects will focus on waterfront recreation in Warren, Niles, Youngstown, Struthers and Lowellville, while another in Bristol will improve the Western Reserve Greenway Trail.

An additional $5.4 million was announced for projects in Ashtabula.

All of the projects financed were part of a regional mega grant request for funding through the state’s Appalachian Community Grant Program. Eastgate Regional Council of Governments was the lead applicant for the $155.7 million worth of projects for investments in downtown and riverfront revitalization, health care and workforce development in the lake-to-river counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana.

The awards were part of more than $51 million given to 18 communities in 10 counties through the $500 million Appalachian grant program.

There was about $2 billion worth of requests for the funding, according to Gov. Mike DeWine, who has been criss-crossing Ohio recently to make announcements of funding through the program.

On Thursday, the governor was at the Warren Community Amphitheatre at Perkins Park to make the local announcement. He and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Anne Vogel also announced $5 million to remove the Main Street dam in Warren.

THE APPALACHIAN FUNDING PROJECTS

• Mahoning County

In Lowellville, there was $936,960 given to build a canoe livery, pavilions and a play facility at Lowellville Waterfront Park and Canoe Livery. The project also includes a trail that connects the riverfront to the downtown.

More than $1.1 million was awarded to build a community river launch area that would include a pavilion, shelters and natural play area in Struthers.

Struthers Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller said the launch area is planned for under Bob Cene bridge by where the kayak launch is already.

“We’re trying to make it look nice,” she said. The existing kayak launch serves a purpose and is well-used, but “it’s not something that is going to draw someone in.”

“We want it to be a destination point for tourism,” she said.

Other facilities are planned for better capacity to host recreational visitors. The project also includes signs, lighting and landscaping improvements.

In Youngstown, meanwhile, $3.8 million was set aside to improve Spring Commons Park near downtown with new play equipment, pavilions and shelters.

Also, a riverfront path and boulder terrace will be added to make a beach stop-off point for kayakers to visit the park. In addition, an asphalt lot will be repurposed into an agriculture center to support community garden programming. The park will be connected to the West Avenue boat launch by a trail.

The total investment is about $6 million.

• Trumbull County

“We’re excited about this announcement as it directly ties into our downtown expansion plans,” said Warren Mayor Doug Franklin of the $4.3 million to improve the downtown area near the river and several parks.

The Mahoning Avenue Corridor Revitalization Plan includes a new pedestrian bridge that spans the river from downtown to Perkins Park. Also, Burbank, Packard, Perkins and Bullhead parks will be improved with new streetscaping and sidewalks that connect the parks.

It connects to a project to redevelop the peninsula in Warren into mixed-use residential, commercial and cultural.

The peninsula is a stretch of land along West Market Street named that way because the Mahoning River wraps around it. The land that stretches from Main Avenue SW to South Street is largely vacant and is prime for redevelopment.

A group, Fund for Warren’s Future, is leading the effort.

“How they connect is we view all of these lifestyle improvements in the city will enhance its attractiveness to the new workers who come into, whether it’s Foxconn or Ultium (Cells) or Kimberly-Clark, or companies we don’t even know the names of yet,” said fund administrator Dennis Blank.

“We know particularly young, better educated, professional technical workers, they love walkability, they love having easy access to recreation, so we feel the project on the peninsula ties in perfectly,” Blank said. “The river flows around it on three sides (and) it’s right across from the coming pedestrian bridge to this park (Perkins).”

The redevelopment of the peninsula is “still in the relatively early stages,” Blank said, with some property that still needs to be acquired, but the fund has a master plan development agreement with a Dayton-area developer of mixed-use properties.

“Now we are in the more actionable phase of this. We have to complete a development plan between the developer and the city,” Blank said, adding the developer is working to secure financing.

Other projects that received funding were a boat launch in downtown Niles, $3.5 million, and $372,746 was awarded to fix embankment loss on the bicycle trail at Baughman Creek Bridge in Bristol.

The total investment is $8.2 million.

REACTION

Jim Kinnick, executive director of Eastgate, said the awards are a “true investment in the quality of life for people” in the region.

“We’re excited about the challenge to deliver these projects and look forward with great anticipation to cutting the ribbons here in the very near future,” he said.

State Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, said he went to Columbus with the goal “for us to finally get our fair share of the pie, and we’re getting it.”

The funding presents opportunities for generation change, he said, adding, “this is what it looks like when everybody works together. That is exactly what we have right here.”

The effort for the Appalachian program funding began last year when Eastgate joined with the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber and port authorities, including the Western Reserve Port Authority to put together a coordinated approach to identify needs and projects to improve the region.

The result was the $155.7 million grant request.

Thursday’s announcement is a “major milestone toward continuing to write the economic narrative” of the region and “shows the power of our community when we come together,” Guy Coviello, chamber president / CEO, said.

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