Board Paves the Way for Renovation of East Liverpool Building

EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio – Action taken Thursday by the city’s Design Review Board paved the way for the start-up of renovations at the future East Fifth Street home of True North.

In a 3-0 vote – with members Mayor Bobby Smith and Mark Hissom excused – the board approved a certificate of appropriation application filed by Charles Bailey, CEO of True North, a company that services customers in 43 states.

True North, headquartered across the river in Chester, W.Va., will relocate to the downtown building that currently houses the Buckeye Online School for Success after renovations are complete. The company will bring its 55 employees, with plans to increase the roster to more than 80.

Bailey purchased the 1930s-era building in March for $625,000.

Plans call for leasing space to BOSS until the Thompson Building in the Diamond is renovated, at which time BOSS will relocate its operations there.

In his application to the Design Review Board, Bailey outlined an extensive renovation project that includes replacing the existing awning with a new, black wraparound awning on the front and alley side of the building; addition of a new entrance and entrance vestibule on the alley side; addition of a fence around an outdoor seating area on the alley side; painting the first and second floor bricks in complementary colors to enhance the building’s appearance; and replacing the existing BOSS sign.

Bailey previously said plans call for remodeling the second through fifth floors for modern, efficient office space for a future entrepreneur center and a business incubator. Also, the first floor would be remodeled for a conference center, an employee breakroom/gathering space and a coffee shop.

The renovations are made possible by $700,000 in JobsOhio Vibrant Communities Grant funding announced by Gov. Mike DeWine during a recent visit to the city.

In June, City Council approved legislation authorizing formation of a Community Reinvestment Area for the company, which will provide a tax abatement for 15 years on the improvements to the building. The district school board approved a similar abatement. 

Although BOSS was exempt from paying property taxes to the city, True North’s acquisition as a private company means it will now pay property taxes on the base value of the property, generating revenue the city was not receiving previously. However, it won’t have to pay taxes on the increased value from the improvements for 15 years due to the CRA formation.

In approving the certificate of appropriateness, members of the Design Review Board said the renovations will make a significant improvement to Fifth Street.

Bailey said after the meeting that interior renovations are currently underway but didn’t confirm a completion date. Exterior renovations will begin by the end of October, he said.

True North is also partnering with AT&T, which is installing a high-speed cell tower on the building’s roof to improve wireless internet and cell service in the city, Bailey said.

“The new tower will blend into the urban landscape,” he said, noting that the tower is currently under construction and expected to be online by the end of the year.

Pictured at top: The former Buckeye Online School for Success building on East Fifth Street in East Liverpool.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.