YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Western Reserve Port Authority and Mahoning County will move forward on development of a new government services center on the site of the former Eastern Gateway Community College building and parking garage downtown.
During separate meetings held at the new Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission, 1915 Belmont Ave., WRPA’s board of directors and the Mahoning County Board of Commissioners each approved a memorandum of understanding to develop the proposed government center at the downtown Youngstown property, 101 E. Boardman St.
“I want to be clear with the board and with the community that this is an ongoing process,” Anthony Trevena, WRPA executive director, said during his board’s meeting Wednesday morning.
As the port authority worked through the process of acquiring the building last year, officials reached out to the county, with which it had partnered on both the veterans center and the Mahoning Valley Campus of Care, about collaborating on a project involving the downtown property.
“We’re moving the county into the future. We need new offices, new places to do the business of the county, and now’s the perfect time to do that,” Mahoning County Commissioner Geno DiFabio said. No final decisions have been made on what office will be relocated to the new space, but the goal is to consolidate “as many offices as we can there,” he said.
Following the commissioners’ acceptance of the MOU at the meeting that followed, the port authority would work with the county through the process of developing the building and determining what county agencies would be located in the building.
While what Trevena described as the building’s “pedestrian space” – where Eastern Gateway had classrooms, administrative offices and its bookstore, as well as space occupied by the Mocha House Youngstown Downtown restaurant – remained safe, the parking deck had “absolutely exhausted its useful life,” he said.
“It’s unfortunate that we cannot salvage the pedestrian part of the building without the parking garage capabilities,” he said. “With its demise, it is going to have to be demolished.”
The port authority is working on finalizing a contract for demolition of the building, with demolition expected to take place beginning in March or April, he said.
As part of the MOU, the county will be credited with the $2.5 million that it paid to acquire the former InfoCision building in Austintown Township, though the port authority retained the title to the property, as it does now with the veterans center.
Other Business
In other business, the port authority board approved executing documents in connection with a capital lease and term sheet with Kimberly-Clark Corp. related to a potential regional distribution center the company is considering building adjacent to the $800 million plant now under construction in Trumbull County. The consumer paper products manufacturer announced in May that it would build the plant on land just outside downtown Warren it had purchased from the port authority in late 2023.
According to the resolution, Kimberly-Clark is considering construction of a 591,661-square-foot warehouse and distribution center, which would include 9,317 square feet of office space, an approximately 113,305-square-foot pallet-mixing center, approximately 469,039 square feet of warehousing space and approximately 650,000 square feet of paved parking.
“This is not an announcement of a final project,” Trevena clarified. Any official announcement of the project moving forward would come directly from Kimberly-Clark, but hopefully some sort of announcement from the company would be made in the coming months, he said.
In addition, the port authority approved a resolution to award a contract to Yarian Brothers Construction, Columbiana, for improvements at the McGuffey plaza property that the port authority acquired in 2022.
Remediation work has been taking place at the property, but the contract approved Wednesday will cover removal of basement foundations and other concrete at the site. “It’s just really making it so it’s much more presentable, and it will be shovel-ready for future development,” Trevena said.
Several Youngstown officials attended the WRPA and Mahoning commissioners meetings, including new Mayor Derrick McDowell and members of City Council.
Each of the projects that port authority staff shared with their board represents “an example of reclaiming of our identity,” McDowell said.
The repurposing of a former grocery store building as the new veterans center helps stabilize the Belmont Avenue neighborhood, said Councilwoman Samantha Turner, 3rd Ward.
“It means so much to our whole community that this building is now repurposed. It’s not just here sitting vacant, because it has been doing that for years, and it has taken down the quality of our neighborhood,” she said.
The decision to move forward with a new government services building downtown demonstrates the county has a commitment to the city and its affairs, said Councilman Julius Oliver, 1st Ward.
“Bringing over 400 employees to downtown Youngstown will be great for the revitalization of Youngstown, our business district, our businesses downtown,” he said. “It means everything to the city of Youngstown to have this collaboration between the port authority, the commissioners and the city of Youngstown to be able to make this happen for the citizens.”
Early in the meeting, the port authority board members voted to retain their existing leadership structure. Marty Loney, first elected chairman in 2017, will remain in that role. Sam Covelli will remain vice chairman, and Rich Edwards will remain secretary.
“Everyone associated with the port respects the hard work that you put in since you’ve been the chairman, and we appreciate it,” Covelli said to Loney.
“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Loney responded following the vote.
Covelli also will continue to serve as chairman of WRPA’s economic development committee. Edwards will remain aviation committee chairman, and Kathleen Kennedy will remain chairwoman of the finance committee.
Pictured at top: The former Eastern Gateway Community College building at 101 E. Boardman St., Youngstown.