Paulding Among 19 Counties Awarded Jail Improvement Grants

The Paulding County Commissioners were recently awarded $1,080,000 in grant funding from the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program.  

The program is administered through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s Bureau of Adult Detention, which was launched by Governor DeWine, in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly in 2021.  The goal of the program is to help local communities fund improvements at functionally obsolete or structurally failing jails.  

Earlier in the year, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Department Director Annette Chambers-Smith announced that the state would award $50 million in grants to support construction and renovation projects at local jails across the state.  

A total of 31 Ohio counties submitted applications, and 19 counties were approved for financial support.  Seven of those counties received funding for the construction of new jails, expansion of existing facilities, or major renovation projects.  An additional 11 counties will use the funding for structural upgrades, security enhancements, or smaller renovation projects.  One county is using the grant to conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study.  

Paulding County will use their grant funding for the installation of a chiller and boiler HVAC system at the county jail.  The awarded amount will offset the total estimated improvement costs of $1,580,000.

The renovations will be scheduled to begin later this year.