https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/12/massive-year-end-spending-bill-includes-new-great-lakes-authority-and-other-ohio-priorities.html

 

The following Cuyahoga County projects in the bill were sought by Rep. Brown:

$3 million - DigitalC, Broadband Services for Underserved Communities of Cleveland

This project will address broadband connectivity, digital equity and inclusion by providing affordable high-speed internet connectivity to some of the least connected areas of Cleveland.

$2 million - Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Elimination Project in Garfield Heights

In the City of Garfield Heights, there is a combined sewer overflow relief point located on Wolf Creek at Andover Boulevard. This project includes sewer separation and stormwater offloading from the tributary system to restore the outfall to discharge only stormwater. This work will also mitigate reported basement flooding within the E.105th - McCracken - Granger - E.119th neighborhood.

$1.6 million - City of Shaker Heights, Lomond/Lynnfield Sewer Remodel

Increasing the size of the area’s sewers will add additional sanitary capacity and reduce basement backups, illicit discharges, and flooding. The project will directly benefit 1,600 residents and indirectly benefit 7,000 residents in the immediate area.

$1.28 million - Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio, on behalf of PRE4CLE, Cleveland Early Learning Spaces

This community project funding request would cover the cost of renovations in six child-care centers in FY23, affecting an estimated 500 infants, toddlers, preschool and school-aged children within those sites annually.

$1.22 million - Cuyahoga Community College District, Smart Manufacturing Workforce

Tri-C’s Smart Manufacturing Program, under the Colleges Manufacturing Center of Excellence, supports traditional students, adults, including veterans seeking employment or to enhance their knowledge for advancement in the workplace.

$1.14 million - University Hospitals Birth Safety Simulation Center

The federal funding will be used for construction and renovation expenses to create the space needed for the program and for equipment required for the program.

$1 million - Cuyahoga County, MLK Boulevard Sewer Project

The project will complete much needed repairs to the approximately 100-year-old sewers that are causing ongoing issues of basement backups and flooding in the low-to-moderate income MLK Boulevard neighborhood of Garfield Heights. The project involves separation of the storm sewer from the combined sewer system and installation of a new sanitary sewer.

$432,000 - City of Cleveland, Memorial Bridges Loop Trail

The Memorial Bridges Loop will provide a low-stress, safe connection for bicyclists and pedestrians between the downtown and Ohio City neighborhoods by linking the Irishtown Bend Park along West 25th Street, the protected bicycle lane and promenade on the Detroit-Superior Bridge, and the existing separated multi-use path from Eagle Avenue across the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. The Huron-Ontario connection will be achieved through a “road diet” that removes a vehicular travel lane from W Huron Road and Ontario Street between Superior Avenue and Eagle Avenue to create a physically separated, multi-use path along the southern curb of the street segment.

U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a Rocky River Republican, says the bill contains the following local projects he sought in Cuyahoga, Summit and Medina counties:

$3 million - City of New Franklin - The Vanderhoof Road Pump Station East

The City of New Franklin requested funding for the expansion of its sewer system. The pump station is the necessary infrastructure to allow for sewer systems to be open to multiple service areas across the city. With this funding, the water quality will greatly improve, as well as protecting integrity of the Portage Lakes, and help relieve financial burdens on New Franklin residents.

$2.7 million - Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District - Smith Road Stormwater Project

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District sought funding to reduce flooding by building a detention basin which will intercept un-detained stormwater runoff and reduce peak flow rates. The project will help ensure nearby roadways are accessible during storms and hazardous weather.

$2 million - Cuyahoga County - Ridgewood Drive Bridge Project

Funding will help replace the Ridgewood Drive Bridge over West Creek in Parma. The new structure will be able to withstand current truck overload and accommodate a multi-modal path for safe pedestrian and bike travel.

$2 million - City of Green - Arlington Road Project

The City of Green requested funding to reduce congestion at two nodes along Arlington Road at the intersections of Boettler and Southwood. These nodes will be converted to roundabouts in order to double the corridor lanes and provide substantial reduction in the number of conflict points and decrease risk of crashes. The funding will also promote pedestrian safety by implementing sidewalks, and active transportation walkways along the project limits.

$2 million - City of North Royalton - York Beta Drive Industrial Park Expansion

Money will be used to extend utility and roadway infrastructure into an existing industrial zoned area, which will allow 150 acres to become accessible for full development.

$1.5 million - City of Brunswick - Healey Creek Storm Water Management

Funding will help restore natural floodplains and storm infrastructure in residential neighborhoods along Healey Creek with the goal of also mitigating environmental and structural damage from excess stormwater. This project will also lead to the improvement of water quality for the residents of Healey Creek.

$1.5 million - New Destiny Treatment Center, Clinton

Money will help construct a new medical clinic facility. The existing clinic does not have enough space to accommodate clients, making treatment inaccessible. The expansion will help the clinic better serve individuals in need of addiction treatment and free up resources from New Destiny’s capital budget to upgrade medical equipment and hire new personnel to assist in diagnostic testing and non-emergency services on-site.

$1,190,000 - City of Cleveland, Department of Port Control - Cleveland Airport System Taxiway Victor Project

Money will be used to construct an extension separating Taxiway Victor 500 feet from Runway 6L/24 R. The funding will enhance airfield safety, expand capacity, and enable economic development through the increase of aviation activity for both Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Greater Cleveland Area.

$1 million - Village of Seville - Seville Water Transmission Main Replacement

Funds will help replace the Village’s mile-long water transmission main. Updating the existing system would reduce concerns for water contamination and aid in steady water service supply and water pressure.

$905,000- Cleveland Clinic (Medina) - Interventional Radiology Suite Project

Funding will be used to improve its imaging equipment and provide a state-of-the-art suite that will eliminate a bottleneck of patient demand.

$855,000 - University Hospitals Parma Medical Center - Breast Health Center at UH Parma Medical Center

University Hospitals Parma Medical Center sought money for a new Breast Health Center. The Center would enhance treatment and care of breast health patients in Parma by increasing the number of breast surgeries, biopsies, and ultrasounds in a centralized area to provide easier access to patients who seek several treatments.

$603,511 - Fairview Park Police Department - Radio replacement project

Money will help replace 133 obsolete radios for the Fairview Park Police Department and the Westshore Enforcement Bureau Drug Task Force. The project will also improve basic inter- and intra-departmental communication capabilities to create a safer environment for officers and the communities they serve. The new radios will be equipped with encryption and allow for better efficiency and flow of information.

$255,800 - United Way of Greater Cleveland - 211 Technologies Project

Funding will help improve technologies associated with the free and confidential 211 service that helps callers find local resources they need. The project will include updating laptops, docking stations, monitors, headsets, and peripherals for staff members. By updating this equipment to 24/7 reliability, it will ensure that staff can connect vulnerable constituents to services that can accurately address their mental and behavioral health issues.

Niles-area Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan secured money for several projects in Summit and Portage counties. They include:

$2 million — Red Oak Behavioral Health Trauma-Informed Care Center

The funds will be used for a capital improvement project to upgrade and expand Red Oak’s Akron facility to make it more trauma-informed & accessible to clients, allow for integrated physical healthcare service delivery, and create a regional training center for nonprofit social service professionals and to expand their capacity to serve more patients in the surrounding community.

$1.2 million — Bounce Innovation Hub’s Minority Business Support Programs

Funding will go to training, curriculum planning, marketing, legal, accounting and other professional services designed to support the growth of minority businesses.

$750,000 — Hope Community Center At-Risk Youth Project

These funds will be used for a capital building project to increase capacity and to expand their services for Barberton youth.

$250,000 — Portage County Adult Probation Department’s Probationers Offered Work, Empowerment, Re-direction (POWER) Program

The POWER Program works to expand services to formerly incarcerated people. These funds would be used to support programming such as how to obtain and retain employment, complete an apprenticeship program, obtain short-term housing, and acquire a valid driver’s license in addition to providing high school equivalency assistance, healthcare assistance, and professional counseling. Not only will this program help its participants, but employers with job vacancies will also benefit.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown secured money for the following projects:

$5 million -Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Rail Car Replacement Program

GCRTA’s heavy and light rail cars are 37 and 40 years old, and have exceeded their useful life. Due to their age, replacement parts are difficult to obtain and the technology and components within the cars are obsolete. This request will provide additional funding for this program to replace GCRTA’s two aging fleets of rail cars.

$4 million - Greater Cleveland Food Bank Capital Expansion and Capacity Building Project

Greater Cleveland Food Bank is pursuing a transformative capital and capacity building campaign to expand their distribution and production of nutritious food, and to create a dedicated space for their clients to access services that can help them address the root causes of food insecurity.

$2,750,000 - Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority’s WoodhillUpNext Transformation Plan

The WoodhillUpNext Transformation Plan aims to increase connectivity and a positive identity for the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood through the redevelopment of the Woodhill Homes (a public housing development) and two strategically located off-site properties. Funding would contribute to construction of the neighborhood redevelopment that is a partnership between the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and The Community Builders and is the recipient of a HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant.

$2,323,000 - City of Willoughby Chagrin Floodplain Restoration and Protection

Project involves restoration and preservation of 185 acres along the Chagrin River that have been affected by substantial streambank erosion and nutrient inputs, which are contributing sediment to the river and threatening downstream attainment of the Chagrin River’s aquatic life use designation as well as threatening the stability of State Route 84. Additional funds are needed to secure the remaining 105 acres of key green space along the Chagrin River and create a wetland filtration floodplain forest adjacent to the Chagrin River. This will involve the decommissioning and restoration of an existing 32-acre nursery and will create native habitat that will treat stormwater from upland residential developments and prevent erosion, reduce nutrient runoff entering the river, and recharge groundwater. (Requested with Rep. Dave Joyce)

$2 million - Northeast Ohio Medical University Dental School

Northeast Ohio Medical University will use the money to pay construction and refitting costs necessary for it to start a dental school program.

$2 million - East Exchange Street improvements in Akron

Replace street infrastructure and improve bicycle and pedestrian access to improve the regional community’s access to job centers in downtown Akron as well as the area’s main hospitals and The University of Akron.

$1.5 million - Euclid Microgrid improvements

Project will increase the resiliency of the power supply for an area in Euclid with a concentration of manufacturing businesses that has reported lost productivity and financial losses due to frequent power outages. The project includes rooftop solar and battery backup generation at three host sites and an approximately 1.5 mile long underground distribution/transmission line from an existing substation.

$1.5 million - Cleveland Scholar House Affordable Housing Development

Cleveland Scholar House will create a 40-unit building to provide opportunities for low-income parents enrolled full-time in institutions of higher learning and their children by pairing affordable housing with onsite supportive services and high-quality daycare.

$1,125,000 - University of Akron Research Foundation

In an effort to address the housing crisis facing Summit County, University of Akron Research Foundation (UARF) is working with the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority to produce 700 affordable housing units, starting with 44 units in Phase 1. Money will help provide solar power for the project’s first phase.

$1 million - National Tactical Officers Association

Project in all Ohio counties will support the Mental Illness Response Alternatives Center for Law Enforcement (MIRACLE) providing training to law enforcement officers in alternative responses to the mentally ill in crisis.

$1 million - Avon Lake water project

Money will be used to construct redundant water transmission mains to a pump station in order to ensure reliable drinking water in the event of an emergency. in addition to be connected to Avon Lake’s water system, the mains will be inter-connected with the Rural Lorain County Water Authority system and the City of Elyria system.

$1 million - Replace sewer main in Cleveland

Project will replace 1,150 foot deteriorated sewer main on Buhrer Avenue, which is causing property and street flooding.

$1 million - Upgrade Cleveland’s potable water system

Project will stop discolored water in 12 communities that’s caused by high manganese levels resulting from seasonal hypoxic water in Lake Erie.

$1 million - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum community education program

Money will be used to expand its K-12 and higher arts and music history education programs for students locally, nationally, and globally. Students experience live demonstrations, music and video excerpts, and multimedia presentations. Educational materials will be available in multiple languages.

$750,000 - Cleveland Rape Crisis Center

Project in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, and Lake counties will increase access and enhance services for the thousands of survivors of rape and human trafficking who need the support of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s hotline and other services each year.

$750,000 - Irishtown Bend Equitable Transportation Access and Livability Project

The project will fund construction of a multipurpose trail and related streetscape enhancements (landscaping and lighting) along the soon-to-be reconstructed Franklin Avenue in Cleveland, which slopes down the hillside from West 25th Street to the Cuyahoga River.

$680,000 - Akron Urban League Workforce Development Initiatives

Funding will support workforce development initiatives that allow the AUL to provide much-needed assistance with job search, career readiness, training, and intensive case management to support the career advancement efforts of the participants.

$665,000 - Hiram College Office of Workforce Development

This project will accelerate the launch of a workforce readiness program through the development of an Office of Workforce Development and Civic Engagement (OWDCE) on Hiram College’s campus. The project will involve the build-out of a 10,000 square foot space on campus and will launch an array of new certificate and degree programs that directly respond to the needs of Northeast Ohio and throughout the state.

$600,000 - Cuyahoga County Public Library Solon Innovation Center

This project will allow CCPL to create the Solon Innovation Center at its Solon branch in partnership with the City of Solon. This will allow customers to learn the basics about technology, including those that allow for additive and subtractive manufacturing.

$500,000 - United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland Black Entrepreneurship Training Program

This project will start a training program for Black entrepreneurs focused on information technology, manufacturing, professional services, medical technology, and renewable energy called “Building More Resilient Black-Owned Businesses.” The program will last 10-15 weeks, and graduates could be awarded start up grants or mentorships for their new businesses.

$439,000 - Journey Center for Safety and Healing

Project in Cuyahoga County would provide enhanced support to victims of domestic violence by providing professional trainings, outreach, and referral information to other organizations that interface with individuals experiencing domestic violence and child abuse; providing targeted outreach and support to the faith community, hospitals, community centers, and more.

$400,000 - NOPEC Small Business Energy Efficiency Support Program

This Cuyahoga County-based project will assist in outreach and further engagement in existing small business support programs. Federal funds will allow NOPEC to further engage with small businesses in the 242 communities they represent and encourage them to apply for NOPEC’s existing support programs.

$335,000 - Forbes House Shelter Expansion

Lake County Committee on Family Violence project will expand mental health programming for children in its shelter during their time at the Forbes House. Project will provide children the ability to better cope with and handle unsafe situations and help them effectively communicate their needs to a caregiver or another safe adult.

$335,000 - Holden Arboretum Forest Resiliency and Conservation and Canopy Coverage Expansion Project

Holden Arboretum’s project will promote forest resiliency and conservation and expand canopy coverage in Northeast Ohio by: (1) establishing a regional seed bank serving NEOH and the Great Lakes Region; (2) expanding pest-resistant tree propagation; (3) increasing regional growth capacity with green house construction in conjunction with local universities, promoting conservation research as well as reforestation; (4) expanding regional forestry workforce by expanding Holden’s Tree Corps learning program.

$323,000 - Ohio University Human Trafficking Prevention

Project in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina Summit, Geauga and Lake counties will support the partnership of Ohio University, the Cuyahoga Regional Human Trafficking Task Force (Task Force), and the Trafficking Analysis Hub (TAHub) in the design of a Decision Support System (DSS) that police officers can utilize in the planning and deployment of anti-human trafficking operations.

$195,000 - Cuyahoga Community College District

Project will introduce a new curriculum that leverages a “cleanroom classroom laboratory” (CCL) to educate new and current workers on future lab techniques, inspire scientific innovation, and prepare the workforce with skills so essential to the rapidly expanding advanced manufacturing industry.

$100,000 - Lake County Free Clinic Renovation & Expansion Project

Money will be used to renovate and expand the clinic’s current facility to provide access to free primary care for Ohioans in need.