Through strategic funding, infrastructure investments, property redevelopment and partnerships, the Western Reserve Port Authority continues to expand its role as a catalyst for economic growth, workforce development and community revitalization, laying the foundation for sustained regional progress in the years ahead.
Among WRPA’s most significant projects to date is the development of Kimberly-Clark Corp.’s $800 million plant on the former RG Steel property, which the company announced in 2025, Anthony Trevena, executive director, says.
Last year, the port authority worked closely with partners, including JobsOhio and Lake to River Economic Development, to pursue funding for a new access road from the Kimberly-Clark site to state Route 45, including a $17.1 million grant/loan from the Ohio Department of Development All Ohio Future Fund, Trevena says.
This project, in collaboration with the Trumbull County Engineer’s office, is the largest non-federally funded highway project ever built in the region and will serve as a public truck route for Kimberly-Clark and benefit the entire Valley, he says.
WRPA also worked to strengthen local aviation assets and workforce development, securing the final $1 million JobsOhio Ohio Site Improvement Program grant to advance the $8.1 million YNG Aviation Education Center.
Located at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, the facility will expand Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics’ program and include a dedicated flight school in partnership with Youngstown State University. Designed to address workforce shortages in pilots and aircraft mechanics, the center will also prepare students for emerging sectors such as advanced air mobility technologies.
Airport capital improvements continued in 2025 with multimillion-dollar runway and taxiway rehabilitation projects funded through federal and state grants, including a $9 million upgrade to its primary taxiway and the start of a $13 million rehabilitation to the main runway.
Community-focused projects included the transformation of a former grocery store into a new $5.1 million Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission, supported by the Mahoning County Commissioners and partially funded through state resources secured with WRPA’s assistance.
“The Port is committed to improving the quality of life for residents as part of its traditional economic development efforts,” Trevena says.
In 2025, Warren City Schools transferred property to WRPA, which the port transferred to Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership to construct four new single-family homes, an initiative helping transform blighted areas. Building more housing opportunities will remain a focus heading into 2026.
In downtown Youngstown, WRPA closed on the acquisition of the former Eastern Gateway Community College parking garage and the adjacent Harshman building, he says. While portions of the site will require demolition, WRPA and Mahoning County will develop a new government services center and parking garage there.
Projects such as the Air Heritage Trail highlight WRPA’s investment in recreational and cultural assets. The one-mile, C-130–shaped trail spans 22 acres near the airport and Youngstown Air Reserve Station, repurposing former taxiway materials and featuring interactive signage celebrating the Valley’s aviation history. The trail is scheduled for a grand opening this spring.
