Rep. McNally announces $6,016,699 in additional Appalachian Community Grant Program funding for Mahoning Valley waterfront projects

Final ACGP funding round supports statewide Ohio Wonderful Waterfronts Initiative

May 20, 2024

COLUMBUS- State Rep. Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown) today announced the awarding of $6,016,699 in additional Ohio Department of Development (Dev) Appalachian Community Grant Program funding, dollars made possible by $500M in federal dollars provided by President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.

“It’s bittersweet that this huge investment of federal dollars has been completely assigned and that there were a ton of great, transformative, shovel ready projects that could have used that cash influx but won’t get it,” said Rep. McNally. “I’m really thankful for the incredible work of many local partners who came together and truly put their best foot forward for these and several other asks. We will definitely need to keep advocating for even more investment in the Mahoning Valley. The work continues.”

The Dev’s Appalachian Community Grant Program is funded by $500,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 dollars given to the state of Ohio and appropriated through House Bill (HB) 377 in the 134th General Assembly. The $6,016,699 received in Mahoning County is designed to strategically invest in projects that will result in sustainable and transformational outcomes for the 32-county Appalachian region and include health care, infrastructure, and workforce components. The grant program was opened in October of 2022, and only local government and government-related entities were eligible to apply as eligible lead applicants. However, the program encourages a high level of collaboration to maximize the return on investment.

Projects funded in Mahoning County, all of which Rep. McNally advocated for in her letter of support to the Director of the Office of Appalachia, include:

$936,960 to the Village of Lowellville for the “Lowellville Riverfront Park” project, constructing a canoe livery, pavilions, and a play facility at the Lowellville Waterfront Park and Canoe Livery. An extensive trail will be added through the wooded riverfront connecting to downtown.
$3,891,475 to Youngstown for the “Spring Commons Park” project, making dramatic improvements to Spring Commons Park, located near downtown Youngstown. New, active play equipment for ages and abilities will be constructed, as well as pavilions, and shelters. A riverfront path and boulder terrace will be added to provide a beach stop-off point for kayakers to visit the park. At the site's northwest corner, an existing asphalt lot will be repurposed into an agriculture center to support community garden programming. The park will be physically connected to the West Avenue boat launch by a trail.
$1,188,264 to Struthers for the “Struthers Community River Launch” project, constructing a community river launch including a stairway with a kayak groove for a direct connection to river access, a pavilion and shelters, and a natural play area. Additional facilities will be installed to allow for better capacity to host recreational visitors. Interpretive signage and lighting will be installed to provide safety and context to the site, while new improvements will be made to the landscape.

This latest and final Appalachian Community Grant Program funding round is part of a larger $203,967,449.50 investment titled “Ohio’s Wonderful Waterfront Initiative.” The initiative includes 39 projects across 20 counties to significantly improve waterfronts, trails, parks, and historic downtown districts in Ohio’s Appalachian region. Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, the lead applicant for the Mahoning Valley, successfully secured funding for 10 projects and up to $20,217,198.44 in funding.

The Controlling Board request officially appropriating the grant awards includes notations to previous Controlling Board approvals that stated contracts for the Appalachian Community Grant Program must be executed by September 30, 2024 to meet ARPA compliance and be completed by September 20, 2026.