SALEM — The city of Salem is set to receive $600,000 in state funding for expansions to Lincoln Plaza.

Ohio Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, announced Thursday that Lincoln Plaza was included in the list of projects in Columbiana, Mahoning and Carroll counties slated to collectively receive $8.5 million through the state capital budget as passed by the Ohio Senate.

If the proposed capital budget is approved by the Ohio House of Representatives and Gov. Mike DeWine, the $600,000 award would make approximately $1.6 million in state capital funding secured for Lincoln Plaza, with the city receiving an initial award of $700,000 for the project in 2022, and a further $300,000 in 2024.

“We’re very grateful for the funding that’s been given, and the attention Salem’s been getting, and we’re going to keep at it. We have other potential projects and we’re going to keep looking for funding,” Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey said.

Dickey said that the city applied for $1.2 million to renovate and expand Lincoln Plaza into the adjacent property between it and the Salem Memorial Building. The city purchased the property in April 2025 with approximately $450,000 in private donations which were conditioned to only be used for that purchase.

Dickey said that the city had some preliminary ideas for the expansion which the application for funding had been based on, including larger trees and seating to create a quiet place to rest, and potentially installing a restroom. She said that they also wanted to incorporate a cross into the space somewhere as it had been requested by a donor.

However, Dickey said that once the award receives final approval, the city will assemble another citizen-led committee like the one which created the initial design proposal for Lincoln Plaza. That committee will refine those initial ideas into a cohesive design and get quotes to ensure the expansion can be completed within budget. Once that plan receives the green light, the city will put the project out for bid.

“Those are some of the ideas we have, but it will be up to the committee,” Dickey said.

Dickey also stressed that the award from the capital budget, like the two which preceded it, can only be used for the Lincoln Plaza project.

“They’re all for green space in that category and that funding is for that specific green space. We’ve had a lot of legislators down for events, and they’ve been impressed, so they’ve been very supportive, and we’re grateful for that,” Dickey said.

In addition to the Lincoln Plaza project, Salem also submitted funding proposals to either renovate the city’s fire house or purchase a new one, and to expand the police department, but only the Lincoln Plaza project was approved.

Dickey explained that the city submitted the projects to every opening for legislative funding including the federal capital budget, which has yet to be finalized, and if the other projects aren’t selected as subsequent funding rounds are announced, they would resubmit them next year.

“We submit for everything possible. I’m always getting things for potential funding and forwarding them to all the departments to submit for funding. We have other projects that would also really improve the city, but these are the ones they approved,” Dickey said.

According to Cutrona’s announcement another project in Salem would also receive backing in the state capital budget, with the Salem Community Theatre slated to receive $100,000 for its seating replacement project.