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Airport Authority Asked to Be Focal Point in River Cleanup
By Dan O'BrienVIENNA, Ohio -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants the Western Reserve Port Authority to decide by this summer whether it will act as a funding conduit in cleaning up the Mahoning River and restoring its water quality.The board heard a lengthy presentation Wednesday from Carmen Rozzi, plan formulation section chief of the corps' Pittsburgh division. Such an undertaking needs widespread support, Rozzi said, and the port authority is the ideal entity to help with the project because it encompasses both Mahoning and Trumbull counties. The segment of the river targeted for dredging stretches 31 miles from Levittsburg, in Trumbull County, through Youngstown to the Pennsylvania border. "We'd hope you could draft a response by the end of the summer," Rozzi told the board. "The port authority can be a project sponsor." The corps has asked the board to sign a letter of intent in support of the cleanup effort.The main charge for the port authority would be identifying and securing non-federal funds for the project, Rozzi said, about $35 million. The federal government will contribute 65% of the estimated $100 million needed to finish the cleanup, he added. Just what funds are available and how the port authority can obtain these funds is a major question, said its chairman, Bill Reali. For the board to go forward, it would need help from either the Army Corps of Engineers or other entities, such as Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, to identify funding partners.Board member Tom Petrarca expressed concern over the extent of the port authority's liability as he advocated the body act simply as an agent, thus being absolved of all liability.The feasibility study is nearly complete, Rozzi continued. The next step is to advancing to the pre-construction, engineering and development phase. Rozzi told the board that the corps hopes to begin dredging in 2007. Work would commence near the former Copperweld Steel plant in Warren and gradually move downstream through Youngstown and Lowellville. Time needed to complete the project is projected at 10 years.The Mahoning River is one of the five most contaminated rivers in the country, Rozzi reminded the board. Every day for 70 years, steel mills that once lined the corridor from Warren to Lowellville dumped nearly 200 barrels of crude oil and byproducts in the river, all but killing the ecosystem. Today, some 750,000 cubic yards of polluted sediment remain on the bed of the river, contributing to an aquatic population that has one in four fish being deformed or suffering tumors.With the river restored to full-scale recreational use once the polluted sediment is removed and dams breached, the Mahoning Valley could realize more than $2.5 million in annual revenues, Rozzi said. The board will study the proposal, Reali responded, and decide whether it is prudent to move ahead with the project.The port authority also received an update on aviation activities at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.Airport Director Steve Bowser reported interest remained strong throughout April for Vacation Express Inc.'s flights to Orlando, Fla., and Myrtle Beach, N.C.The low fare air carrier began regularly scheduled flights from the airport April 1.Capacity for flights to Orlando stood at 95% for the month and the scheduled flights to Myrtle Beach were just under 80% full, Bowser reported.With support this strong, Bowser said, the airport and Vacation Express are discussing adding more destinations from Youngstown. To market any new destinations, the airport has applied for a $250,000 Air 21 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. Such moneys would be used solely for marketing purposes.Discussions also continue with several flight schools whose officials have expressed interest in establishing a presence at Youngstown-Warren, the board learned.Board member John Masternick said discussions continue with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., one of the top flight schools in the nation. Representatives of the school have visited Youngstown Warren several times and they were "impressed with the airport," he added."Demand is the key," Masternick said. The university is performing marketing studies and will evaluate whether demand within a 100-mile radius of the airport is sufficient to support a flight school here.Contact Dan O'Brien at [email protected]"