AUSTINTOWN — The township soon may have a new headquarters for its ambulances.

Officials on Tuesday said Austintown is well-poised to receive $1 million through Congressional Direct Spending, which it will use for a new standalone ambulance bay next to Fire Station 1 on state Route 46.

The township bought the parcel next to the fire station last year for about $20,000.

“It was a worthwhile investment, because we spent $20,000 and we’re now getting $1 million,” said Trustee Robert Santos. “I’m very humbled, because these turnarounds do not usually work out this quickly, so I’m glad everything worked out as planned.”

The new building will have between 8,000 and 10,000 square feet. It will be used to house the two newer ambulances the township bought a few years ago.

“When ARP (American Rescue Plan) money came in, one of the last things the board did was to purchase two ambulances, because with private sector EMS being up in the air, we want to make sure we have the necessary personnel to respond when you call 911,” Santos said.

Santos said that Austintown’s relationship with ambulance company Lane LifeTrans is good, but there is only so much Lane can do, amid its own budgetary and fleet constraints, given that it contracts with many other communities.

“Even private-sector companies can only manage so many calls, and then when they get overloaded, we often have to call other communities for assistance,” he said.

Township Administrator Mark D’Apolito said Austintown initially requested more than $1.5 million for the project through U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli’s, R-Salem, office, but it is not uncommon for funding requests to be reduced through the congressional process.

“We still believe it will be enough to get most of it done, but we’ll have to retrofit some things, like landscaping and site prep, that would normally be in an all-inclusive package,” D’Apolito said.

Santos said the award is included in House Resolution 9260, which cleared the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittee on June 5 and the full House Appropriations Committee on June 9. It was formally reported to the House on June 11.

The U.S. Senate also has its own direct spending resolution to pass and each chamber’s resolution must be reviewed and reconciled with the other chamber before final approval and submission to president.

Santos said Austintown officials also submitted their request to the offices of Republican Sens. Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno.

Santos said he expects the final bill to be signed by the end of the year, but Austintown will not receive the funds until next year, and the project still needs to go through the bidding process. He said he does not expect construction to begin until 2028.

For now, Austintown’s primary ambulance unit, Medic-11, runs out of Station 3 on Raccoon Road, while the two newer ambulances used as backups are taking up space ideally used for fire apparatus at Station 1.

Officials said the new building will accommodate a quick exit for the ambulances, as well as maintenance needs and equipment storage space.

Santos said that when Lane is overwhelmed and Medic-11 is dispatched, part-time personnel are called in to staff the backup ambulance. The same happens during an all-hands-on-deck call like the gas explosion at Phoenix House in November, so that other calls can be answered while primary fire staff attend to a major incident.

Fire Chief Dave Schertzer said Medic-11 made 322 hospital transports in 2025. But the township’s ambulances are used far more often. He said township EMS personnel went out on 1,509 calls.

Schertzer said the new building also will allow them to stop using a run-down garage for storage of equipment.

“We have just a small 24×24 garage that’s in bad shape,” he said. “It was built in the 1970s as a pavilion and they later enclosed it, to use for storage. We can’t fit a pickup truck in there.”

D’Apolito said that while the money is not yet in the township’s bank account, they are optimistic.

“We’re really appreciative of Congressman Rulli affording us the opportunity to get to this point, and we’re hopeful that we’ll get funded,” he said.

BABY BOX IN PROGRESS

D’Apolito and Schertzer said another big project at Station 1 is in progress, but moving slowly.

In March, Trustee Monica Deavers spearheaded the board’s effort to secure a Safe Haven baby box for installation at the main firehouse, sharing her own personal story about being a frightened teenage mother. The baby box will allow mothers in desperate straits to surrender their needy infant as a last resort, knowing that fire station personnel will immediately hear the alarm and attend to the baby.

The baby box also provides information for the mother should she wish to reconsider or seek help afterward. Trustees announced in early April that following a March 18 article in The Vindicator, an anonymous donor footed the entire cost to purchase the baby box from Safe Haven.

D’Apolito and Schertzer said the order has been placed and the township’s box is in production. While it will be ready to ship in six to eight weeks, it’s not as simple as that.

“There’s a lot of political red tape we have to work through,” Schertzer said.

He said the contractors who install both the box — especially its exterior door — and the alarm system that notifies fire personnel immediately when a baby is placed in the box must be registered with the Ohio Department of Public Health.

There are no such contractors in Mahoning County, so the township has had to seek outside contractors and any company that takes the job also will have to register with Mahoning County, which includes paying a registration fee.

Schertzer said Safe Haven will not ship the box to Austintown until the township has approved contractors in place to do the installation.

The box also must be registered with the state, which costs $500 every three years, and the township must provide an annual attestation document verifying that it has the means to properly respond to the baby box, provide adequate care and maintain the box and its systems