By Edward P. Noga

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – When the January double issue of this publication came out last month, I took special notice of the “From Lake to River to the World” cover story.

The Growth Report double issues are dedicated to the region’s growth reports. Happily, two double issues – January and February – are required to cover the many initiatives, proposals and projects that have become a part of our four-county lake to river region.

In last month’s cover story, mention was made of the 100-mile highway corridor that connects Lake Erie with the Ohio River.

If memory serves, Route 11 was designated as the Lake to River Highway in the mid-1970s. Its history included a proposal from a national steel company to build a state-of-the-art mill in Conneaut on the shores of Lake Erie. Route 11 was intended to provide easy access to the proposed U.S. Steel mill for the many skilled steelworkers in the Youngstown-Warren area who would want to work there. It would also facilitate distribution of the mill’s products.

The mill was never built. For that reason and others, the highway carved out of some wonderful scenic landscape and farming communities has been seemingly under-used. It is a very direct route for those who use it but, as a college professor friend of mine once told me, “I drive up to Ashtabula to teach at a satellite college campus and see very little traffic.”

The Route 11 connector has some new life and new purpose with the announcement by Gov. Mike DeWine that the four-counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana would comprise one economic development district.

For history students, former U.S. Rep. Michael Kirwan (who served from 1937-1970) proposed and promoted a canal that would link Lake Erie with the Ohio River. He persistently championed this connector concept, but it never materialized.

History reminds us of the importance of where we have come from and gives us the opportunity to look anew at what can be repurposed. Look at the downtowns in our region, small and large, that are repurposing historic buildings. Construction and architecture of decades ago can become a new dimension to the places we call home. An appreciation and mix of the old and new transforms our hometowns on many levels.

With the new energy and new perspective of the Lake to River Development district, new life may be coming to a 100-mile stretch of highway that is well-maintained and well-positioned for economic growth.

We have long heard about our Valley being within easy reach to half of the population of this country. How often have we heard that we are “in the middle,” between New York and Chicago as well as Pittsburgh and Cleveland?

The more we focus on what binds us, the more we prosper. I remember being at a community organizing meeting and banquet when a speaker suggested our banner and theme should be “Better Together.”

When the president of Youngstown State University, Bill Johnson, was asked recently what he would like to see at the university this year, he mentioned two things, one of which was a stronger marriage between YSU and downtown Youngstown. He said he hoped when folks are downtown that they realize that they are also on campus and when folks are on campus he wants them to realize they are also downtown.

This might sound like semantics. It’s a good reminder, however, that if you visit, work or live at either site, the other one is right next door. Realizing the strengths and opportunities of both areas enhances their potentials.

That’s something to think about the next time we enter or exit Route 11.