TOLEDO, OH – The Lucas County Commissioners and Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre are excited to announce that Lucas County was awarded a $10 million state grant today for the construction of a new Lucas County Corrections Center.

The grant was awarded through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Capital Improvement Local Jail Projects Grant program, which had made $50 million available for the construction and renovation of county jails in Ohio.

Commissioners Pete Gerken, Tina Skeldon Wozniak, and Lisa A. Sobecki and Sheriff Navarre attended the press conference at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio near Stryker, Ohio, where Governor Mike DeWine announced Lucas County is a recipient of an ODRC capital improvement grant.

“I can’t express enough gratitude to the governor and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction for their support of the county’s plans to deliver a facility that meets the needs of the community and will allow us to provide a safe environment for pre-trial inmates who are housed in the new jail and for our corrections officers who work there,” Sheriff Navarre said. 

“We have been on a 10-year pathway to construct a new jail. This project will happen, and this funding is a critical piece to make it work better. We appreciate the ODRC and the state for their understanding of our need and for acting accordingly. This grant will be used immediately to get construction of the new jail moving. These funds will not sit idle. At the end of the day, we will build a new county jail sooner, and not later,” Commissioner Gerken said.

“The prevalence of individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders in our local jail is an increasing issue that has been plaguing our community for far too long. This is why it is so important that the new jail have access to services and treatment for these individuals. We cannot simply ignore this problem and hope that it goes away. We owe it to these individuals to provide them with the care and support that they need to live healthy and productive lives,” Commissioner Wozniak said.

"My colleagues and I are committed to actively pursuing outside funding that supports our local efforts to reduce recidivism by creating incarceration environments that influence positive change,” Commissioner Sobecki said. “The new jail will meet the demands of the modern criminal justice system while helping corrections staff better address underlying issues that may be causing inmates’ criminal behavior. The funding received today will go a long way toward creating a safer community."

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