Franklin County approves $143,999.63 sub-award for Transit Arts youth program
July 02, 2026 | Franklin County, Ohio
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Franklin County commissioners on Thursday adopted Resolution 447-26, authorizing a $143,999.63 sub-award to Central Community House to fund the Transit Arts Youth Engagement and Employment Program.
Carmen Barnes, Chief Operating Officer for Job and Family Services, told the commission the program aims to help young people who “struggle to be engaged positively in the community and desire small group interaction to address isolation, increased violence, and injustice.” The award will support year-round weekly work groups, social-emotional learning, mentor pairing and monthly events that focus on violence disruption, Barnes said.
Kendrell Mills, Transit Arts program coordinator and an artist mentor who grew up in Central Community House programs, read an original poem, "Peering Through the Glass," describing his transition from bystander to active participant. Mills said the program helped him find a craft and a voice: “my thumb now holds a pencil that can create worlds of all kinds.” The reading drew applause and was cited by commissioners as evidence of the program’s personal impact.
President O'Grady praised Mills’s performance and the county’s arts investments, saying not only was the poem “a fantastic” piece of work but the willingness to perform publicly reflected the program’s success in building confidence. Another commissioner affirmed prior county briefings on Transit Arts and urged support for continued funding.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to adopt Resolution 447-26 and another seconded. Commissioners Boyce, Crowley and O'Grady cast recorded "Yes" votes; the clerk announced the resolution was adopted. The sub-award is intended to provide Transit Arts services to about 80 youth and young adults ages 12–21; additional implementation details and a schedule were not specified in the meeting record.
The resolution completes the county’s formal approval; commissioners did not record a discussion of alternative funding sources or contingencies in the transcript. No amendments or conditions were entered on the record at the time of the vote.
Carmen Barnes, Chief Operating Officer for Job and Family Services, told the commission the program aims to help young people who “struggle to be engaged positively in the community and desire small group interaction to address isolation, increased violence, and injustice.” The award will support year-round weekly work groups, social-emotional learning, mentor pairing and monthly events that focus on violence disruption, Barnes said.
Kendrell Mills, Transit Arts program coordinator and an artist mentor who grew up in Central Community House programs, read an original poem, "Peering Through the Glass," describing his transition from bystander to active participant. Mills said the program helped him find a craft and a voice: “my thumb now holds a pencil that can create worlds of all kinds.” The reading drew applause and was cited by commissioners as evidence of the program’s personal impact.
President O'Grady praised Mills’s performance and the county’s arts investments, saying not only was the poem “a fantastic” piece of work but the willingness to perform publicly reflected the program’s success in building confidence. Another commissioner affirmed prior county briefings on Transit Arts and urged support for continued funding.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to adopt Resolution 447-26 and another seconded. Commissioners Boyce, Crowley and O'Grady cast recorded "Yes" votes; the clerk announced the resolution was adopted. The sub-award is intended to provide Transit Arts services to about 80 youth and young adults ages 12–21; additional implementation details and a schedule were not specified in the meeting record.
The resolution completes the county’s formal approval; commissioners did not record a discussion of alternative funding sources or contingencies in the transcript. No amendments or conditions were entered on the record at the time of the vote.
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