State Budget Bill Includes $30M for Valley Projects

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The state’s biennial capital budget bill includes $30 million for projects in the Mahoning Valley, local lawmakers announced Wednesday.

The bill, House Bill 529, allocated a total of $2.6 billion, including $600 million for schools, $480 million for universities, $350 million for infrastructure projects and $147 million for community projects. The bill passed the state house by a vote of 90-2 and now requires a state senate vote.

A joint statement released by state Reps. John Boccieri, D-Poland; Mike O’Brien, D-Warren; Glenn W. Holmes, D-Girard; and Michelle Lepore-Hagan, D-Youngstown, reported the budget included $15 million for projects at Youngstown State University.

The projects include $4 million for the Mahoning Valley Innovation & Commercialization Center and $10.5 million for renovations across campus, including at Meshel, Cushwa, Fedor and Ward Beecher halls.

“We’ve fought and long for connecting YSU to our local economy,” Lepore-Hagan said. “We will lead the state with this innovation center and future research opportunities.”

Among the other local projects included in HB 529 are:

• $700,000 for renovations at Kent State University at Trumbull.
• $375,000 for a firefighter’s training site at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.
• $300,000 for workforce training programs at the Campbell Community Literacy, Workforce and Cultural Center.
• $200,000 for Eastern Gateway Community College’s renovations to Eastwood Field.
• $200,000 for improvements at the Youngstown office of the Department of Jobs and Family Services.
• $100,000 for the Mahoning Valley Community Healthcare Training Center at Eastern Gateway.
• $75,000 for the Western Reserve Greenway Bike Trail segment in Trumbull County.

“Trumbull and Mahoning are sibling counties in many respects; when one does well, so does the other,” said Rep. Glenn W. Holmes. “We’re happy to see that both counties received a substantial amount of funding for projects that will bring further investment and opportunity to the Valley and its residents.”