3 counties eligible for more funding

By Denise Dick

Funding available for 2010 increases to $750,000, up from $500,000 this year.

YOUNGSTOWN — Communities in Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula counties could receive state or federal funding to improve infrastructure or create new jobs.

Last year marked the first the three counties were considered part of Appalachia, making them eligible for additional federal funding through the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Funding for 2009 totaled $500,000, and was used to help fund projects at a pretreatment wastewater facility in West Farmington, improvements at the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District and an electronic medical-records program at the Ashtabula County Medical Center, said Kathy Zook of Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, the local development district for ARC.

“For fiscal year 2010, we’ll be getting $750,000,” she said.

That includes $500,000 in federal dollars and $250,000 from the state through the Governor’s Office of Appalachia.

Applications for that funding were due earlier this month, and Zook expects entities to learn in about three months if their applications were successful. The information must be submitted to both the federal ARC and the governor’s office.

“There are four major goals in ARC, and the projects have to meet at least one of them” to receive funding, Zook said.

The goals are job creation or retention, increased capacity to compete on a global economy, improvement and development of infrastructure and development of the Appalachian highway system.

“I think our projects meet at least one if not more of the four goals,” Zook said.

Projects submitted for 2010 funding came from the Mahoning County Sanitary Engineer, Trumbull and Ashtabula county commissioners, Lordstown, Kent State University Trumbull Campus, MVSD and the Ashtabula County Medical Center.

The amount requested totals $739,750 which would help fund more than $2.9 million in projects.

The Mahoning County sanitary engineer’s office is asking for $83,625 as part of a $167,250 project to install 1,000 feet of sanitary sewer in Austintown.

The work is to improve infrastructure and prevent closure of the state Route 46 fire station because of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency requirements.

Andy Frost III, that township’s assistant fire chief, said runoff from the station’s bays has been flowing into the septic system that serves the station. OEPA doesn’t allow that, and the agency has been working with the township to correct the problem, he said.

Trumbull commissioners have requested $250,000 as part of a $1.9 million project to install sanitary-sewer lines for 37 homes and 17 businesses in Vienna Township.

KSU wants $205,616 toward its $411,232 project to expand the industrial-maintenance training program at the Trumbull campus and to increase the number of dislocated workers who get job-skill training.

Ashtabula commissioners have requested $98,000 for a $196,000 plan to build an access road including waterline and sanitary-sewer connection and sidewalk in Austinburg to help five new businesses and create about 40 new jobs.

MVSD’s request is for $75,000 of a $150,000 project to replace its 1930s lime chemical-feed system. Lime is used to remove the hardness or particles from water to make it safe to drink.

Ashtabula County Medical Center wants $59,659 toward a $152,237 effort to hire a full-time diabetes educator, to buy office equipment and to offset the membership dues for 100 patients.

Lordstown’s $65,850 request would go toward a $131,700 project to build a wind turbine at the village administration building.

denise_dick@vindy.com