Lorain County Commissioners accept $1.9 million in Lead Safe Ohio grant funds

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners officially accepted nearly $1.9 million in Lead Safe Ohio grant funds to start a lead safe renovation and lead abatement program in the county. The primary goal of the program is to prevent lead poisoning and reduce lead hazards in Lorain County residences, congregate care settings and child care facilities built before 1978, according to the county's Community Development Department. Drake Hopewell, an economic development specialist with Community Development, said the state announced the Lead Safe Ohio program last summer. The county submitted an application for grant funding in October and it was awarded in December, he said. The county is working with a consultant to implement the program using the $1,892,000 it received and will bring that to the board for consideration at a later date, Hopewell said. Homeowners who qualify for the program could receive money to help abate any lead paint, pipes or fixtures remaining in or on their homes. The funding is part of $84 million dedicated to lead safe projects across 72 Ohio counties. The Lead Safe Ohio program supports lead mitigation and prevention projects in residential properties, child care facilities and congregate care facilities, according to state officials. The money may be used to replace waterlines, windows and doors, for siding and soffit enclosure, porch repairs and for lead cleaning efforts in eligible properties built before lead-based paint was outlawed in the United States in 1978. As lead paint deteriorates, it chips or turns into dust and can cause lead poisoning — especially among children, who are less able to detoxify their bodies. Long-term lead exposure can cause physical and mental problems. In other business, the board voted unanimously to reimburse the village of Sheffield $287,709 in grant funding the county Transportation Improvement District received from the Ohio Department of Transportation for the extension of Transportation Drive parallel to Interstate 90. Two awards were granted on the project: One for $250,000 and one for 11 percent of eligible costs up to $106,000 from ODOT's Office of Jobs and Commerce. Assistant County Engineer Robert Klaiber said the county Transportation Improvement District applied for the project several years ago on Sheffield's behalf. The money was disbursed to the county and the county then reimbursed the village for what it spent on the project, he said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.