CADIZ — Harrison County received a $150,000 subsidy grant for the Targeted Community Alternatives to Prison program.

The Harrison County Commissioners signed an agreement at last week’s Board of Commissioners meeting. The agreement is between the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Division of Parole and Community Services, Bureau of Community Sanctions and Harrison County and grants $150,000 to Harrison County to aid in the T-CAP program. The county will receive the payments in eight installments of $18,750 over a two year period.

The program is designed to reduce or divert the number of persons committed to state penal institutions, detained in or committed to local corrections agencies.

According to the agreement, the purpose of this grant is to provide funds to Ohio counties to effectively supervise, treat and hold accountable low-level, non-violent offenders, while safely reducing Ohio’s prison population.

The agreement states that the target population for the T-CAP program are fifth-degree felony offenders, who would be prohibited from serving a prison sentence in an Ohio prison or after July 1, 2018. This does not include violent offenders, those with prior convictions which include violence, sex crimes, or any crime which must be served concurrently with a prison sentence.

Four payments that total $75,000 will be distributed during the fiscal year 2020. The remaining four payments, totalling $75,000, will be distributed during the fiscal year 2021.

In other matters, Harrison County Sheriff Ronald “Joe” Myers made an announcement at the commissioners meeting.

“School’s going to be starting pretty soon. They are going to be doing some construction out there at the entrance,” Myers said.

A third lane is currently being installed, and Myers suggests using Industrial Park Road if travellers are heading to St. Clairsville.

“Watch for traffic delays right there, they’re supposed to put a red light up when they get involved in bringing that crown up to the road. Beaver (Excavating Co.) is doing that dirt work right now. That will be coming here shortly. We are getting close to the school season and when Hammond (Construction) actually has to turn the school over to the school district, so, with that being said, traffic might be congested there a little bit, so try to use an alternative route.”