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WARREN -- City officials have approved American Rescue Plan spending for 13 community proposals.
Among those approved last week by the board of control: $250,000 for the Trumbull County Historical Society, $400,000 for Inspiring Minds, $375,000 for BRITE Energy Innovators, $75,000 for Oak Hill Collaborative and $200,000 for ACTION's Mobile Market.
Meghan Reed of the Trumbull County Historical Society said it requested the money for an expansion at the Morgan History Center, 328 Mahoning Ave. NW.
"This expansion will really do three things," she said. "For one, it will expand our exhibit spaces and galleries, expanding tourism opportunities there, and tying in to our tourism on Millionaires' Row. And number two, it will allow us to properly preserve over 30,000 historic artifacts. Right now our object collection is in the basement of the John Stark Edwards House (303 Monroe St NW) and not accessible to the public."
Third, the money will be used to expand the volunteer base for Reed and her team.
Reed said the TCHS is in the process of creating a partnership with the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County, which also will have two galleries in the expansion space for art exhibits.
Mayor Doug Franklin noted Reed has done a "fantastic job" of raising money for the project, before asking for ARPA support from council.
"We are requesting from ARPA $250,000, but the total cost is $1.6 million," she said.
BRITE
Rick Stockburger, president and CEO of BRITE, in discussing BRITE's request, said it is Ohio's only energy incubator.
BRITE started as a nonprofit in 2011. The funds for BRITE will be partially for building remodeling, while the other portion is entrepreneurial services.
"When we had Ultium (Cells) in our facility with about 100 employees, we trained over 1,300 other employees in our building, and found out that our building wasn't great for workforce development," Stockburger said. BRITE is downtown at 125 W Market St.
The total for phase one of its project is about $750,000, and BRITE already has backed it with $550,000 for construction.
INSPIRING MINDS
Inspiring Minds program director Carl Diggs and the organization's founder Deryck Toles said funding for its program will help with expansion of a multipurpose room.
"It will allow us to expand our programming, and also hire more individuals," Diggs said. "About 75 percent of our staff were participants of IM growing up, meaning they are from the city of Warren. So, this money will help us continue our mission."
The building at 837 Woodland St. NE that houses Inspiring Minds has had three floods in two years, Toles said.
"I think that last one was the one that knocked us out," Toles said. "We had about three feet of water going through our building, so we literally lost everything. We lost every pencil, every piece of paper, tables and chairs. We are still really trying to figure it out. And it all happened in the middle of this project."
Inspiring Minds purchased its building in 2017, while it was worth about $80,000 to $90,000. Toles said it is now worth around $1.9 million, because of the money the organization has been able to raise and "the work we put in to it."
"Getting the money is important because when they originally built it, they did not do the drains right. There were three major drains coming from the roof that lead into 4-inch pipe, which is why a lot of the water is coming back. So the longer we wait to finish it, the more opportunities we have for rain to come," he explained.
OAK HILL COLLABORATIVE
The Oak Hill Collaborative Affordable Connectivity Program, funded through Ohio's Appalachian Community Grant Program, will provide affordable connectivity and computer programs, which consist of grants for individuals to be able to receive a reduced wi-fi bill, said Safety Service Director Eddie Colbert.
"Through the mayor and his collaborations, they want to take that step further than just giving people a lower utility," Colbert said at a recent board of control meeting.
The Trumbull Community Action Program, Trumbull County Metropolitan Housing Authority, Greater Youngstown-Warren Urban League and Warren City Schools also will be collaborating on the project. TCAP is providing the space, while the school district is donating computers.
Colbert said that instead of giving vouchers for "a cheaper wi-fi bill," this effort actually allows for computer courses with instructors to teach residents skills that will advance their resumes, using Oak Hill Collaborative's space.
Warren is the fifth-least connected city in Ohio, according to Franklin. "So, we wanted to address that in a real proactive and impressive way," he said.
MOBILE MARKET
A Mobile Market from ACTION (Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods) will help solve the food desert problem in many areas of Warren. The $200,000 toward the "mini store," as described by Colbert, will provide fresh meats and produce for areas that need food.
"As many of you remember, a few months back, we were hit with devastating wind storms," Colbert said. "We had individuals within the city of Warren who had been without power for up to four days. … With a phone call to the people of ACTION, we were able to get that mobile unit from Mahoning County to come over here to Trumbull County."
Other approved funding is: $80,000 for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), $75,000 for the Trumbull County LOSS Team for Mental Health; $171,000 for Family and Community Services through Valley Counseling; $22,000 for Trumbull Mobile Meals; $100,000 for Triyounity LLC (a rest and relaxation center); $18,500 toward the Quinby Park wall; $115,000 for the United Way Warren Youth Sports Project; and $36,175 for a new National Packard Museum sign.