POLAND, Ohio – The Western Reserve Port Authority is ready to move forward with construction of the new aviation education center at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport – it’s just waiting for final federal approvals.

At its meeting last month, the port authority’s board of directors awarded a $6.98 million contract to B&B Contractors and Developers, Youngstown, to construct the new YNG Aviation Education Center at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, which WRPA operates.

The agreement was contingent on legal counsel approval and receipt of notices to proceed on the estimated 14-month project from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and Federal Aviation Administration. Last fall’s 43-day federal government shutdown and a four-day shutdown this spring have delayed those approvals.

“We’re just waiting for the EDA approval to proceed with groundbreaking, so we’re not allowed to expand any resources on that project until they give us the green light,” Anthony Trevena, WRPA executive director, said after Wednesday’s meeting of the port authority board, which was held at The Lake Club.

“We’ve submitted everything that’s required and necessary,” he continued. We’ve talked to the contractor. Everything’s ready to go.”

During the meeting, the port authority board approved a $745,253 contract with Lindy Paving of New Galilee, Pa., for construction of Taxiway J at the regional airport.

The Taxiway J project was “the last piece of asphalt that has been on our capital improvement plan that we were planning on doing in the next couple years,” said Randy Partika, director of engineering and construction for the port authority.  

“The harsh winter really tore it apart pretty good,” he said. The asphalt connects four hangers, so the port authority determined it needed to be addressed this year. The contract stipulated a three-week time frame, and work will probably begin by the middle of next week.

Work already is underway on the $13 million Runway 14/32 rehabilitation project, which Lindy also is doing. The airport’s primary runway was closed two weeks ago, and drainage installation began last week, Partika said. Milling took 4 inches off the surface last week, and work to resurface the area should be underway next week.

The airport’s shorter runway, 523, is open to air traffic and can accommodate planes from Youngstown Air Reserve Station and private aircraft. “Hopefully, by the end of August, we’ll have it all opened up,” Partika said.

Nick Chretien, WRPA director of planning and regional development, updated board members on efforts to work with other local economic development agencies to secure federal Opportunity Zone 2.0 designations for qualifying census tracts in Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties. “It offers a tax reduction on capital gains invested into a qualified opportunity zone, and then any gains appreciated through that qualified zone investment would not be subject to capital gains tax,” he said.

The portal to nominate tracts to the state of Ohio expires July 10, and existing zones for tracts that still qualify will need to be renominated. The state has until Sept. 30 to nominate tracts to the U.S. Treasury Department.

“Across the state, we’re expecting 250 in Ohio. Locally, we have about 78 in the four-county region, representing 7.6% of the total state tracts,” Chretien said. “We’re hoping to receive somewhere around 20 tracts of nominations.”

Following the meeting, board member Ed Muransky, owner of The Lake Club, led WRPA board members, staff and others attending Wednesday’s meeting on a brief tour of The Shore, the newest addition to the club’s campus. Ground was broken on the space, which includes a sailcloth-tented area and building, in February and completed in time for the May 9 wedding of Muransky’s daughter.

The Shore already is booking events into 2027 and is attracting customers from outside the area, Muransky said.

Pictured at top: A rendering of the YNG Aviation Education Center.