YOUNGSTOWN – The arrival July 16 of the first of eight C-130J-30 planes to be stationed at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station is the latest in a series of victories for the military base in Vienna Township.
The reserve station – referred to by its acronym YARS – is home to the 910th Airlift Wing. The base is one of the largest employers in the Mahoning Valley with about 1,900 military and civilian personnel. It has an annual economic impact of an estimated $150.6 million.
The award of the planes, which represents an $875 million investment in YARS, is a “very nice reward for a lot of work [by] the community,” says Josh Prest, executive director of the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission. “It’s going to solidify the position of the base for decades to come.”
EOMAC was formed in 2015 to advocate for the region’s military assets, which include YARS and the Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center in Ravenna.
The effort to secure the C-130J-30 planes dates back more than a decade, according to Prest. It began after YARS survived the Base Realignment and Closure Commission process that concluded in 2005. At that time, the campaign to preserve the airbase was called Operation: Save Our Airbase Reservists, or Soar. It was initiated in 2003 by the Mahoning Valley’s new congressman, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan.
Today, YARS is in a far better position. In addition to the arrival of the new planes, ground was broken in April on a main gate complex at YARS, an $11 million project that will bring security protocols up to standards with other bases around the country.
The future of YARS is further enhanced by language in the Federal Aviation Act reauthorization, signed into law this year, which designated the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport as a primary airport. It shares runways with YARS. And the Western Reserve Port Authority, which operates the airport, is engaging in a series of federally funded runway projects to further enhance the complex.
There is more work to be done. A new fire station planned for YARS is key to its future. Other projects being pursued include creating a secondary gate at the base for commercial entry and working with Camp Garfield to get a dirt assault strip.
YARS is setting a glide path for the future.