Briefs: Eleven Richland County schools awarded safety grants

Gov. DeWine announces school safety support for more than 900 Ohio schools

COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced that 945 additional schools will receive a combined $68 million in grants for physical safety and security upgrades as part of the latest round of Ohio's K-12 School Safety Grant Program. A fifth round of funding will be announced in coming weeks.

Among the recipients are 11 schools in four Richland County school districts:

● Crestview Local, $95,000: Crestview Elementary School.

● Madison Local, $225,775: Eastview Elementary School, $41,470; Madison High School, $50,000; Madison Middle School; $75,181; Madison South Elementary School, $59,124.

● Mansfield City, $218,852: Malabar Intermediate School, $43,060; Mansfield Senior High School, $26,320; Sherman Elementary School, $26,870; Springmill STEM Elementary, $92,742; Woodland Elementary School, $29,860.

● Pioneer Career and Technology Center, $50,000.

Two schools in Crestline and four in Galion also received more than $354,000.

A total of $112 million was allocated for the fourth and fifth rounds of the grant program by the Ohio General Assembly as part of House Bill 45. The investment more than doubles the initial allotment of of $105 million for the program provided by Ohio's operating budget and the American Rescue Plan Act.

So far, a total of $173 million has been awarded to 2,374 Ohio K-12 schools to help pay for physical security expenses such as new security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems, and exterior lighting. Eligible schools could receive as much as $100,000 per building.

Destination Mansfield-Richland County honored with STAR Award

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (OACVB) had its first post-COVID annual educational conference Jan. 25-26 in Columbus. During the conference, STAR Awards were presented for destination marketing and tourism development efforts in nine different categories. Among the recipients was Destination Mansfield-Richland County for its visitors guide.

The OACVB STAR Awards (“State Tourism Achievement Recognition”) honor outstanding efforts by Ohio convention and visitor bureaus in their work to market and promote their area destinations and to generate overall awareness of the tourism industry. Recipients were honored for their innovation, creativity, effectiveness and impact in travel and tourism marketing and advertising.

Upcoming meetings

● Mansfield City Council Claims Committee, 6:50 p.m. today (Feb. 7), Municipal Building, 30 N. Diamond St., Mansfield.

● Mansfield City Council Caucus/Council, 7 p.m., today (Feb. 7), Municipal Building, 30 N. Diamond St., Mansfield

Mansfield City Council meetings are streamed live on Facebook or the City of Mansfield's website.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Local schools to receive safety grants, Destination Mansfield honored