County awarded $15 million to help fund new jail
JEFFERSON — After years of chasing grants, Ashtabula County finally came up a winner Friday, as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced a $15 million grant for the construction of a new jail.
'The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners and Ashtabula County Sheriff William Niemi are proud to announce the successful acquisition of $15 million in state funding toward the construction of a new county jail,' a press release from the commissioners said.
The grant money will be matched by $15 million the commissioners have saved towards the project, the commissioners said at previous meetings.
Niemi, in consultation with the commissioners, decided a new jail just north of the present one on county property would be the most financially-expedient plan.
The funding is through the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program, which was launched by DeWine in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly in 2021 to help local communities fund improvements at functionally obsolete and structurally failing jails, according to a press release from DeWine's office.
'This funding will not only support safer environments for those living and working in our local jails, but it will also help prepare inmates for release by creating improved spaces for workforce development, educational opportunities, and other programming,' DeWine said in the release.
The commissioners have been working with Niemi to find the best solution to the current county jail, which is too small, and has been deteriorating.
'I can't tell you what a relief this is, for all the hard work we put into it,' Niemi said. He said the current jail not only has functional problems, but is too small to allow programming that would hopefully reduce recidivism.
'We don't have the space to bring the counselors in,' Niemi said. He said the increased space will allow inmates to have a fuller evaluation and hopefully find their way to the right path.
'This is a transformational moment for Ashtabula County,' Commissioner JP Ducro said in the commissioners' press release. 'This funding allows us to move forward. It is a testament to the persistence of county leaders, the support of our sheriff, and the responsible planning that made a local match possible. I am especially pleased that we can now build a facility that should help reduce recidivism and be much more operationally efficient for decades to come.'
The current jail was constructed in 1978 and has long been outdated and insufficient to meet the demands of law enforcement, county leaders have said during the last year of discussions and debate.
'This is a major win. We're incredibly grateful to the state for awarding the full amount of our grant request,' Commissioner Casey Kozlowski said in the release. 'This funding allows us to move forward with the jail project; finally addressing a decades long issue in Ashtabula County.'
'Securing this funding is a major step forward for our county. This project isn't just about building a new facility — it's about making a smart investment in public safety, creating a safe environment for inmates and staff and serving the needs of our community,' Commissioner Kathryn Whittington said in the release.
Niemi said in the release Friday was a historic day for the county.
'The new facility will give us the tools we need to run a secure, effective operation and provide the level of care and accountability the people of this county expect,' he said in the release. 'I thank the commissioners, our partners at the state level, and the people of Ashtabula County for supporting this long-overdue step forward.'
The new jail will also be helpful for law enforcement agencies and other county courts and departments.
'That is great news,' Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell said. 'That is sure to be good for all the [police] departments including ours.'
He said there have been crowding issues at the county jail for 10 years, which caused city jails to fill up for longer periods of time.
The proposed new jail design would house 209 inmates and take approximately three years to build.
Niemi said meetings to discuss the next steps toward construction will start very soon.
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