WARREN Trumbull County has spent about 73 percent of the emergency pandemic funding it received through the federal CARES Act.
The county was awarded about $10.5 million and through Feb. 5 has spent $7.698 million, leaving about $2.8 million in reserve, according to documents provided by the Trumbull County commissioners’ and auditor’s offices.
After two of three commissioners committed Thursday to use some funds to build a structure for vaccine distribution, it appears about $8.098 million of the money has been spent or dedicated, leaving approximately $2.4 million. The building is expected to cost $400,000 or less.
While original guidelines initially required communities to use CARES Act funding before the end of 2020, an extension was granted by the federal government to allow the funds to be used until the end of 2021.
rfox@tribtoday.com
Staff photo / R. Michael Semple
Trumbull County custodian Christina Loney of Johnston sanitizes a door handle at the Trumbull County administration building. The county has spent approximately 73 percent of its $10.5 million in federal CARES Act funding, including a portion on cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment.
WARREN Trumbull County has spent about 73 percent of the emergency pandemic funding it received through the federal CARES Act.
The county was awarded about $10.5 million and through Feb. 5 has spent $7.698 million, leaving about $2.8 million in reserve, according to documents provided by the Trumbull County commissioners’ and auditor’s offices.
After two of three commissioners committed Thursday to use some funds to build a structure for vaccine distribution, it appears about $8.098 million of the money has been spent or dedicated, leaving approximately $2.4 million. The building is expected to cost $400,000 or less.
rfox@tribtoday.com
WARREN Trumbull County commissioners on Thursday approved spending up to $400,000 of special pandemic CARES Act funding on building a structure at the Trumbull County fairgrounds to administer drive-thru vaccination clinics.
The decision was a 2-1 split. Commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Frank Fuda voted in favor of the building, while Commissioner Niki Frenchko voted “no.”
The project was proposed by the Trumbull County Combined Health District as a way to give shelter during the drive-thru events and increase the number of people who can be vaccinated at one time by increasing the lanes of traffic.
It is expected to cost between $250,000 and $300,000, and will include the excavation, foundation, building, electrical, HVAC system, drive entrances and exits. The structure is being purchased through the state purchasing program and is expected to take four to eight weeks to construct.
Despite concerns about COVID-19 vaccines sitting around, about 92 to 93 percent of all doses in the state are used within seven days after their distribution, a
Kim Porter of Canfield, a clinical pharmacist at Trumbull Regional Medical Center, holds boxes of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that are stored in a freezer at the hospital. CDC statistics show Ohio is seventh in the nation in giving the most COVID-19 vaccines of any state.
Despite concerns about COVID-19 vaccines sitting around, about 92 to 93 percent of all doses in the state are used within seven days after their distribution, according to the governor’s office.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 website, however, shows Ohio is using only 70 percent of its vaccines.
That’s because the CDC counts vaccines that the state has yet to receive, Dan Tierney, Gov. Mike DeWine’s spokesman, said.