LISBON — A program aimed at making Columbiana County’s seven walkable downtowns more vibrant just received $250,000 in funding for building owners to improve building usability and businesses to improve their signage.

For the building renovations, county Port Authority Project Coordinator Haedan Panezott said the idea is “to bring these buildings back to productive use.”

The CCPA Board of Directors met in special session Tuesday to accept the $250,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Appalachia to support the Columbiana County Downtown Building Renovation & Signage Program. The grant is an Ohio Department of Development, Appalachian Development Program Award.

“This funding will be used to address the needs of our seven walkable downtowns across Columbiana County, helping to strengthen the vibrancy and appearance of our communities,” CCPA Executive Director Brittany Smith said in her presentation.

The CCPA has been working on the downtowns with Town Center Associates, a company out of Beaver Falls, Pa. The seven walkable downtowns include Salem, East Liverpool, Leetonia, Lisbon, East Palestine, Columbiana and Wellsville.

CCPA first contracted with the firm in 2024 to gather stats about the downtowns, looking at vacancies, building stock, building availability, facades, signage and building conditions, all with a goal of increasing the vibrancy of the downtowns. The firm previously worked with the village of Lisbon, and the cities of Salem and Columbiana on their downtowns.

Of the total $250,000 award, Smith said $200,000 will be used for a Downtown Building Renovation Program, “offering forgivable loans of up to $50,000 to downtown building owners for projects that address code improvements and building upgrades. These investments will help property owners improve safety, functionality, and long-term usability of their buildings while supporting continued private investment in our downtowns.”

Smith explained that $20,000 of the grant will fund a Downtown Signage Program to provide grants of up to $1,000 for businesses “to replace or improve storefront signage, helping enhance the visibility and character of our downtown districts.” The remaining $30,000 will support program administration and engineering services necessary to successfully implement the initiative.

The CCPA will administer the grant.

“This project represents a first-of-its-kind effort for our county, and we are hopeful it will spur additional investment and create new opportunities for funding that support the revitalization of our downtown communities,” Smith said.

She offered her appreciation and thanks to the county commissioners, the CCPA Board of Directors, the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association, the local communities, and the staff at the Governor’s Office of Appalachia for their support and partnership throughout the application process.

She also recognized project partners Town Center Associates, valley partners, the Sustainable Opportunity Development Center, and Howells and Baird “for their collaboration and guidance in developing this initiative.”

Smith also offered special thanks to her staff for their passion and dedication in bringing the project forward.

Right now, the team will be putting together directives and procedures to make sure the guidelines for the grant will be followed. Tentatively, the hope is to announce more details about the application process in May for businesses and property owners interested in participating in the program.

If everything goes as planned, Smith said building renovation projects could start tentatively by the fall, perhaps in September. Sign projects could start much sooner. There are signage tools from Town Center Associations that businesses can use to design a new sign and then take the plans to a sign maker.

According to Panezott, the application for the grant was submitted about a year ago, but this idea has been in the works since 2021.

He noted that the goal for the building owners is to move toward building occupancy by making improvements that will attract a business opportunity. Both he and Smith explained that the loans will be forgivable if a building owner meets the requirements that will be put in place. If a building owner backs out, there will be a clawback mechanism to get the money back.

“We’re excited about this initiative,” Smith said regarding the grant-funded program.

She said dates have already been set for a pair of community workshops with Town Center Associates on May 4 and June 1 for officials in the walkable downtowns. She said the details are still being worked out with Town Center Associates regarding the topics and times.