County to see nearly $1 million in state funding

LISBON -- The county port authority and seven other local public agencies are in line to receive a combined $900,000 in funding that has been included in the state capital budget expected to be approved today by the state legislature.

The recipients and the amounts are:

-- Port authority, $400,000 for improvements to the port authority's Cherry Fork manufacturing complex in Leetonia.

-- County park district, $200,000 for extending the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail east from East Lincoln Way in Lisbon to near the BP station.

-- Lisbon, $100,0000 to go toward replacing the bridge at Willow Grove Park that was washed away in the 2004 flash flood. This would connect the park to the Greenway bicycle trail on the other side of the Little Beaver Creek.

-- County fair board, $100,000 for restroom improvements.

-- Lisbon, $75,000 for an exercise walking path at the Cedar Street park.

-- Wellsville, $75,000 for marina improvements.

-- East Liverpool and Wellsville, $25,000 each for park improvements.

The Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool is also in line to receive $475,000 from the Facilities Construction Commission.

The projects were included in the state capital budget introduced on Tuesday. As mentioned above, the legislature is expected to vote on the capital budget today.

Port authority director Penny Traina said the $400,000 is part of $1.2 million in improvements planned for the 105,000-square-foot Cherry Fork facility, where the chief tenant is Humtown Products and its growing 3D printing operations.

With the planned building improvements, Traina wants to turn the facility into a Global Investment Hub that would attract companies interested in taking advantage of the 3D companies and growing petrochemical industry in the region. These new tenants would be provided space rent free.

The port authority already received a $77,000 federal grant to switch to LED lighting and more energy efficient HVAC system at Cherry Fork. The port authority contributed another $77,000 in matching funds to qualify for the grant.

The $400,000 will be used to repair the building's facade, make parking lot improvements and upgrade existing office space and add more.

The port authority sought $650,000 from the capital budget. "We were worried whether it would be funded because of COVID, but we were pleasantly surprised" to receive as much as they did, she said.

The Global Investment Hub is being undertaken in partnership with the Small Business Development Center and Export Assistance Network at Youngstown State University, which applied for the funding on behalf of the port authority. YSU would receive some of the money to implement a study it performed showing 172 area companies could benefit from the region's burgeoning petrochemical presence.

Lisbon Mayor Pete Wilson said he has also applied for a $500,000 grant to help fund the Willow Grove Bridge replacement project.

"We put in three requests and got two out of three," he said. "We're quite happy."

Traina said state Sen. Mike Rulli, R-Salem, was instrumental in helping secure the funding.

"We want to thank Sen. Rulli and his staff, and our partnership with YSU was critical," she said.

tgiambroni@mojonews.com