LISBON — The Columbiana County Port Authority plans to partner with the village of Lisbon for a proposed sidewalk installation project to ease travels for pedestrians in the area of the Dickey Drive cul-de-sac, Saltwell Road to state Route 45 and state Route 45 to Rose Drive.

The Port Authority Board this week authorized Executive Director Brittany Smith to apply for and execute documents for a $250,000 grant from the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) through the Ohio Department of Transportation for the project.

“We experience a lot of pedestrian traffic here,” Smith said.

If the grant is funded, she said it will allow for installing sidewalks in those areas. Last week, traffic counters were placed across Dickey Drive and Saltwell Road. Smith said they were surprised by the numbers, with the daily average vehicle count into the Dickey Drive cul-de-sac totaling 1,888 and the number on Saltwell Road, which leads to apartments, county Municipal Court and the Title Department, totaling 3,432.

She said the numbers make a case for the need to install sidewalks to keep pedestrians off of the roads.

At the end of the meeting, the board said goodbye to their longtime attorney, Tim Brookes, who was attending his last meeting as the Port Authority’s legal counsel. Chairman Charlie Presley offered his appreciation for all Brookes has done since coming to the Port Authority in 2002.

“I want to thank you for all the services for a number of years,” he said.

Brookes said, “It’s always been a pleasure.”

When asked why he was leaving, he said it was time. He had previously closed his legal office and had been working for the port authority out of his home. A large history buff, this will give him more time for his other activities and his family.

In other business, the board approved an amendment to the lease agreement with Norfolk Southern for the port’s use of the rail crossing located at the Intermodal Facility in Wellsville, with Smith noting the lease increased from $36,000 annually to $50,000 annually. Also approved was an addendum for the contract with the Portage County Combined General Health District for employees at the WIC office to use the Columbiana County Educational Service Center parking lot for overflow parking. The ESC requested the addendum for liability purposes for the use of their property.

The board approved a $25,000 contribution in support of Lake to River, the economic development group covering Columbiana, Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula counties. Smith said they appreciated the partnership and leadership of Lake to River’s interim CEO Alexa Sweeney Blackann and she’s looking forward to working with the new CEO Dani Robbins, who begins Dec. 1. She said it’s important for the Port Authority to invest in this partner to show support for its mission to support economic development across Columbiana County and the region.

The board approved a letter of commitment to allow the APEX Accelerator program at Youngstown State University to use the port’s training room at the port building on Lincole Place in Lisbon.

During her report to the board, Smith announced the Columbiana County Port Authority Growth and Investment Series that will begin next year in the form of informational meetings and networking sessions every quarter to discuss the port authority’s powers, financing tools, economic development initiatives and more. The targeted audience will be community leaders, business leaders, local banks and local developers.

“Our goal moving forward is to market the Port Authority to continue promoting economic growth and development in our county and region,” she wrote in her report.

Approved were the September bank reconciliation totaling $4.4 million and the October bank reconciliation for $4.3 million. The 2025 budget was revised and the 2026 budget was approved, with expected revenue totaling $2,094,000 and estimated spending totaling $2,160,390.

At the previous meeting, the board named Smith as the new executive director. Her annual salary will be $95,000, which is less than the salary for the previous executive director, Penny Traina, whose annual salary was $125,000, according to Smith.

The next meeting of the board will be 5 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Lincoln Place, Lisbon office.