COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Columbiana County projects are among those that were awarded nearly $52 million in state grants from the state Transportation Alternatives Program.
Gov. Mike DeWine and Pamela Boratyn, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, announced the grants Wednesday. The funds will be awarded over the next four years.
The Columbiana County Park District is slated to receive $1.28 million in fiscal year 2026. The funds will be used to help repair and maintain the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail. The trail runs from South Lincoln Avenue in Lisbon into Washingtonville, twisting along the banks of the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek in sections.
Eileen Dray-Bardon, director of the Columbiana County Park District, was excited to learn about the grant, which she said became a necessity when a levy failed in November.
Dray-Bardon said because of the wooded areas and hillsides along the trail, tree roots and drainage create maintenance problems. The money will be used to make repairs and repave certain sections of the 12-mile trail so it can be maintained.
“We’re delighted because we needed it,” said Dray-Bardon, who added that the park district applied for the funding when 62.7% of voters decided not to support a levy for the upkeep of the parks.
The Columbiana County Park District oversees not just the trail, but also Scenic Vista Park and Hellbenders Bluff.
The city of Columbiana will receive $560,000 in fiscal year 2028. The money will be used for a proposed sidewalk on the west side of Springfield Avenue to the entrance of the parking lot of Firestone Park. And then a second pedestrian route will begin where the existing sidewalk ends on the south side of East Park Avenue at Springfield Road and go to Whispering Pines Villas, just west of state Route 14.
With the recent addition of Tractor Supply and Dollar Tree locations, as well as new housing being built at Whispering Pines, Lance Willard, Columbiana city manager, said the grant will provide the sidewalks that will give people safe walking access from the stores to Firestone Park.
This is not the first time Columbiana has benefited from TAP funding, according to Willard. Recent improvements to the park by the Restoration and Beautification organization were enhanced by new sidewalks added through TAP funding.
“We’ve been thinking over the past couple of years that this would be a great place to get some sidewalk in,” Willard said. “We’ve got a great relationship with ODOT, and they do a great job. And we’re very excited to work with them on this project.”
Overall, the TAP money will support 44 infrastructure bike and pedestrian projects in 33 counties.
“The Transportation Alternatives Program makes vital investments to support safer, more connected spaces for walking and biking,” DeWine said in a news release announcing the grants. “This program helps improve quality of life, enhance public safety, and build sustainable transportation networks that make our cities and towns stronger and more vibrant.”