Trumbull commissioners approve three grants using ARP money

Johnston and Bloomfield townships, Cortland Community Foundation to benefit from decision

WARREN -- Trumbull County Commisioners on Wednesday authorized three grants using American Rescue Plan Act funds -- one to Johnston Township, one to Bloomfield Township and one to the Cortland Community Foundation.

The Cortland Community Foundation was granted $35,000 for its Safety City project. The project, which will be available for children in the city to use beginning this summer, will be a mini city, complete with painted roads and eight small buildings. The buildings were constructed by students from the Trumbull Career and Technical Center and will be branded for local businesses and organizations.

David Christner, chair of the Cortland Parks Board, said children can come to Safety City to learn how to ride their bike and pay attention to street signals. Children also can attend programs with safety forces and the schools.

Commissioner Denny Malloy said the funds for the safety city project would be beneficial for children in the city.

"This is a unique grant," Malloy said. "This is going to build a mini-city park that is entirely ADA accessible, and will enable children to learn about traffic and public safety through programs by local agencies as well as being open to the public. It's a unique spin on ways for families to recreate, and for people who have a special needs child, or any kind of children, this is going to kind of raise the bar for other communities to see."

Along with the Cortland Community Foundation, commissioners also authorized a grant of $26,000 to Johnston Township for its fire department to purchase an EMS Power Cot and Loader, and a $94,000 grant to Bloomfield Township trustees to install sidewalks, improve walking paths and install lamp posts throughout the township.

Malloy said the county has been working with its attorneys to work through grant applications and encouraged any interested township to reach out to the commissioners' office.

"We had these public meetings last month," he said. "And we kind of flushed out the ones at the top that we've been sitting on for too long. We're working well with the attorneys to get them approved, and this is just the first of many checks. We're going back out into the community, and I also urge the other townships that are out there, get your applications in. We have deadlines on these. There are some townships we have still not received requests from, and I'm sure if they all dug deep and looked at their township and their needs, there's something that could be helped by these ARPA funds."