COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Controlling Board on Monday released $17 million for work at the former BDM site in Trumbull County as well as $13 million for the renovation of Kilcawley Center at Youngstown State University.
The $17 million for the BDM site work was released to the Western Reserve Port Authority. The property includes land where Kimberly-Clark Corp., a consumer products company, bought 560 acres in late 2023.
“This is an extremely exciting opportunity for the Mahoning Valley,” a statement from WRPA Anthony Trevena reads. “Led by a strong coalition of partners, this was a true collaborative effort among the City of Warren, Howland, Warren, and Weathersfield townships, Trumbull County, and our legislative partners, including the Lake to River legislative delegation, led by Caucus Chair and Majority Whip Representative Nick Santucci. We extend our sincere appreciation to the State of Ohio, the Department of Development and Director Lydia Mihalik for making this opportunity possible.”
The statement said the project is about investing in the communities WRPA services and “laying the foundation for sustained regional economic investment.”
Funding from the All Ohio Future Funds will support work in transportation upgrades, infrastructure enhancements and environmental cleanup in Trumbull County, the statement continued.
“These improvements will strengthen regional connections, attract private investment, and open sites for job-creating projects, while keeping industrial traffic out of our downtowns,” it said. “This effort reflects a shared commitment from all partners to the future of the Mahoning Valley by proactively planning for the evolving needs of modern industrial and site development.”
Trevena thanked Lake to River, JobsOhio, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments teams for what he termed the critical roles each played in making the project happen.
Work is expected to start next month to renovate the Kilcawley Center at YSU. The student center was built in the 1960s, opening in 1965. Its last major renovation was in 1979.
“Youngstown State University is grateful to the state of Ohio for its continued support of our campus development projects,” the university said in a statement. “We appreciate the Controlling Board’s release of these funds to support the Kilcawley Center renovation, which will play a key role in enhancing the student experience and improving our campus facilities.”
The plan is to modernize the building, opening up spaces, allowing more natural light, adding a common food area and a black-box theater for performances. It will also improve connectivity to Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center and revamp the Chestnut Room to accommodate larger gatherings.
Construction will be done in phases, and the center is expected to be completed for the fall 2027 semester. Total project cost is about $50 million, and the university last year launched the Kilcawley: Centered On The Future fundraising campaign. The university also borrowed up to $40 million in bonds for the project.
The All Ohio Future Fund was established in the 2024-2025 state operating budget to invest $750 million to aid local communities with site readiness and preparation to attract economic development projects, according to Controlling Board materials.
The funds will be used at the BDM site in combination with other state, local and private funds to pay for site preparation and construction of regional transportation improvements, and to remediate brownfield environmental conditions at a cost totaling nearly $23.58 million at the 1,000-acre site. The breakdown for how the funds will be spent is $14.91 million for surface transportation, $6.62 million for environmental remediation and $2.04 million for sewers.
The property is in the city of Warren and Howland and Weathersfield townships.
Other funding sources for the project include the port authority, $3.38 million; JobsOhio, $1.9 million; city of Warren, $1.04 million; and Youngstown Warren Development Partners, $10,761.
The port authority sold 560 acres of the roughly 1,000 acres it had acquired from BDM to Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark in late 2023. Kimberly-Clark manufactures consumer paper products under brands including Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Kotex and Cottonelle.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s executive vice president of government affairs and community impact also released a statement in response to the funding release.
“The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is grateful for the state’s investment to support much-needed transportation and infrastructure improvements, as well as brownfield remediation, at a site in Trumbull County once known for its steelmaking capability,” Lyle Huffman said in the statement. “We are confident that through the same coalition of partners that helped the project secure the funding, the site will again become a dynamic job-creator and serve as the backbone for future, lasting economic development in the region.”
Huffman also thanked the port authority, the city of Warren and Howland, Weathersfield and Warren townships and Valley lawmakers for their support.
Pictured at top: Site photo posted at the Western Reserve Port Authority website.