YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Officials in Warren and Girard will use funds from a $600,000 EPA grant secured by the Western Reserve Port Authority-led Trumbull County Brownfield Coalition to begin the process of reclaiming two parcels of land that have long-blighted the two communities, reports WRPA's executive director, John Moliterno.

The WRPA/TCBC approved allocating $120,000 to the city of Girard that will be used to perform a Phase II environmental assessment of the 26-acre site fronting U.S. Route 422 that was once occupied by the Ohio Leather C. The city of Warren will receive $85,000 to determine how much asbestos is present in the former St. Joseph Hospital complex on Tod Avenue. Once that determination is made the city will be able to abate the toxic material and move forward with plans to demolish the approximately 20 buildings on the site.

“The projects funded by the grant moneys will play a critical role in enabling the cities to convert these environmentally-challenged parcels into usable property,” Moliterno said.

“Our effort to reclaim the St. Joe’s site is indicative of our unwavering commitment to improving our neighborhoods,” Warren Mayor Doug Franklin said. “We’re working hard to make our city more attractive and to reassure residents and businesses alike that the city will diligently pursue funding that enables us to eliminate blight in our community.”
 
Franklin noted that work of the WRPA/TCBC underscores how much can be accomplished when government officials at all levels work together. “I want to thank the WRPA, the Trumbull County Planning Commission, and Howland Township for recognizing that we must take a regional approach to economic development if we hope to grow and prosper in the years ahead," he said.

Moliterno said the environmental assessment at the Ohio Leather site will enable the city to move one step closer to developing a piece of property that was both an eyesore and a subject of litigation for nearly two decades. The city finally gained control of the site in March 2014 after battling its former owners in court for 19 years.

Sarah Lown, WRPA economic development manager, who directed the successful effort to secure the $600,000 stipend from the EPA -- one of only four awarded by the agency to Ohio-based entities in 2013 -- noted that the grant has enabled the WRPA/TCBC to leverage millions of dollars in additional funds from other sources.

“All the money will be used to help officials turn brownfield sites into highly marketable locations for new investment and development,” Lown said. “Because they feature freight rail access, proximity to major highways, industrial-grade utilities, and other essential infrastructure we believe a wide range of companies -- particularly those involved in oil and gas extraction and exploration -- will find these parcels highly attractive in the years ahead.”

“Whether we’re working with the private sector to structure the type of  financing that helped make Penn National’s Hollywood at Mahoning Valley Racecourse a reality, securing grants that will enable cities like Girard and Warren to convert the region’s brownfields into dynamic sites that will attract new companies and jobs, or providing input and expertise needed to help community and government leaders plan for our area’s future, the WRPA has repeatedly demonstrated that we have the unique capabilities needed to drive growth and development in the Mahoning Valley,” Moliterno said. “And that’s something we’ll continue to prove in 2015 and beyond.”
 
SOURCE: Western Reserve Port Authority.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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