The city of Struthers stacked practical wins in 2025 that position the community for long-term stability, Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller says.  

Through its partnership with K.O. Consulting LLC, the city secured $1.2 million in grants to advance initiatives that make future growth possible: investing in critical infrastructure, expanding public safety capacity and taking strategic risks to unlock Struthers’ economic potential.

In 2025, Struthers was awarded two Appalachian Regional Commission grants totaling $353,500 for targeted upgrades at the city’s water pollution control facility, Miller reports. Additionally, $800,000 in congressional district spending was approved by both houses of Congress and signed into law. 

“This reinforces that Struthers can compete for complex and highly competitive grant awards when it brings forward clear, well considered projects,” Miller says. Also, the Struthers Police Department was awarded $13,687 through the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to purchase additional cameras to support crime prevention and deter drug activity. 

In July, Struthers lost longtime safety service director Robert “Bob” F. Benson. “He was a steady hand and positive influence for City leadership over decades of service. He never wavered in his belief that catalytic growth was in Struthers’ future, and he worked every day to lay the foundation for that reality,” Miller says.

That notion is visible in the broader direction of Struthers, she continues. Dylan’s House, a nonprofit focused on supportive housing for residents with developmental challenges, began construction on the first of several houses intended to promote independence while maintaining access to health care and behavioral health supports. 

The city also received the first state distribution from marijuana sales, $328,000. While those funds have not yet been assigned, the significance is clear: Flexible new revenue strengthens the city’s ability to invest, meet match requirements and move faster when opportunities arise, even when doing so requires a measured risk, Miller says.