WRPA Receives $8M to Resurface YARS Taxiway

WASHINGTON – The Western Reserve Port Authority was awarded an $8 million federal grant Friday to resurface a taxiway at Youngstown Air Reserve Station.

The grant was one of 17 Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program grants totaling nearly $100 million awarded by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

“The funding from this grant is dedicated to the comprehensive resurfacing and rehabilitation of Taxiway Hotel/H, a critical project at YARS ensuring its ongoing support for military readiness and vital missions,” said Anthony Trevena, the port authority’s executive director.

These awards derive from fiscal year 2023 appropriated funding and leverage an additional $39.8 million in nonfederal and other federal funding for a total investment of $139.5 million.

“The Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program continues to be a critical program that demonstrates the importance of the relationship between installations and their surrounding communities in delivering critical infrastructure needs to support military service members, their families and their communities,” said William A. LaPlante, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.

“The Western Reserve Port Authority and Youngstown Air Reserve Station are critical to our state and our national defense,” U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said in a statement Friday. “This crucial investment will upgrade infrastructure at the base, allowing YARS to improve training and supporting Ohio servicemembers.”

Trevena and Josh Prest, executive director of the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission, expressed their appreciation to Brown and J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson, R-6th, and Dave Joyce, R-14th, for their efforts. 

“This grant reflects the strong collaboration between our community and federal legislators, reaffirming our commitment to both local economic growth and the mission of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station,” Trevena said.  

“The resurfacing of Taxiway Hotel, known as the ‘driveway to the airbase,’ will help support military readiness and the mission at the 910th Airlift Wing as well as support our reservists here at YARS,” Prest said. 

Resurfacing of Taxiway H will coincide with the arrival, expected next year, of eight new C-130J airplanes at YARS. 

“The Western Reserve Port Authority and local officials within the Mahoning Valley at all levels have been working as hard as ever to maintain the airport, attract commercial airlines and support the mission of the 910th Airlift Wing. This grant under the Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program, which I voted to support in 2018 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, will go a long way towards achieving these goals,” Johnson said.

“Our region will greatly benefit from this grant as it will fulfill critical infrastructure needs at one of the largest economic drivers in the Mahoning Valley,” he added.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.