Grants to be pursued for courthouse repairs and EMS radio towers, paving bids opened

During the Tuesday morning commissioners meeting, EMA Director Deniseann "Deni" Stempowski came forward with two grant opportunities for projects she needed the commissioners to approve.

The first proposal would fund the replacement of windows at the county courthouse, a project Stempowski estimated at $2,485,679. She noted the figure was a high-end estimate, as the final cost could vary depending on the exact condition of each individual window. Because the courthouse is a historic building, the windows would need to be custom-made to match existing dimensions and preserve the structure’s appearance.

The grant, Stempowski explained, would cover 75% of the total cost to complete the project, with the county covering the remaining 25%. This would end up costing the county somewhere in the vicinity of $670,000, with the grant being approximately $1.8 million, based off the cost she estimated.

She went on to state that she needed to know the commissioners’ answer by 5:00 that afternoon in order to apply for the grant. If approved, the money would not be received until 2027. “But I have to have some assurance from the commissioners today that you would be willing to do the 25%.”

“Ultimately, I believe the funding would be approved through the council,” Commissioner Cardwell said. “But us as commissioners can approve the project.”

Damage around one of the courthouse windows.

“That's correct,” said Stempowski. “I'm not going for an actual dollar amount. I need today something from you saying you're willing, before they go ahead with the rest of the grant process. It looks like we are gonna get this grant because I did it under the historic building… things like that… and it seems to be covered under the rural funding. So I just need something from the commissioners saying you would be willing – if they give you $1.8 million – to pay $600,000 to finish the project.”

Commissioner Ewen expressed concern about the same-day 5:00 pm deadline. “That’s not a lot of time for any human being to make a decision to shuck out almost three quarters of a million dollars.”

“But you're not actually,” Stempowski said.

“We just need to approve the process,” said Cardwell.

After some discussion, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve the 25/75 grant in theory, subject to the availability of funds. In the event that the county funds do not end up being available, Stempowski explained that the grant money will simply be sent back.

The second project needing approval for a Community Oriented Policing System (COPS) grant was for additional radio towers to be built in the county. This, Stempowski explained, would boost the capabilities of emergency responders.

“We are asking for two towers and for an upgrade to the two existing towers,” she said.

Currently, one of the towers sits near the Washington County Sheriff's Department in Salem, while the other is in Franklin Township on Fire Tower Road. Stempowski explained that this does not create good enough triangleization, with the northwest corner and south side of the county experiencing difficulties in EMS communications.

Approximate locations of the current radio towers.

“It's dangerous,” she said. “You know, EMS is on scene and they're asking for law enforcement because something's going on. If we don't hear them, we don't send them.”

Stempowski explained that unlike the 25/75 split for the courthouse windows, this grant would cover 100% of the tower project. Commissioners Cardwell and Ewen voted unanimously to support Stempowski on her endeavor to secure the grant for the communications towers.

During the same meeting, Community Crossings bids for 2026 paving projects were opened. These were the following bids:

C&R Construction and Consulting LLC: $1,649,102.00.

MAC Construction: $1,886,343.40.

Temple & Temple Excavating & Paving, Inc.: $1,497,509.00.

The bids were received and accepted for consideration.