YOUNGSTOWN Grant fills gap in bridge funds

By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two weeks ago, the city didn't know how it was going to find the last $500,000 to build a bridge needed to service the Ohio Works Industrial Park.
Today, the money is available, and a construction contract is to be awarded Thursday.
Mayor George M. McKelvey announced this morning that the Ohio Department of Development has awarded the city $500,000 for the bridge.
He credited State Rep. Sylvester Patton, D-60th, of Youngstown, for making the grant happen so quickly. Patton also is on the State Controlling Board, which reviews projects and releases state funding.
The city asked Patton two weeks ago to help secure the needed funding, McKelvey said.
"It truly is good to have a positive relationship with the administration in Columbus," McKelvey said.
The $2.1 million crossing will connect Division Street to the industrial park, providing direct access to the property.
Patton said the grant shows that the state development department is committed to helping Youngstown. Last year, the state gave the city $400,000 for the bridge.
What happened
The city bid out the project recently but found itself $500,000 short, McKelvey said. The bridge wouldn't be built without the state grant, he said.
The city's board of control will award the bridge construction contract Thursday to A.P. O'Horo of Youngstown now that the money is available, he said.
The bridge should take about six months to build.
The span is a key to bringing two or three more companies to the Ohio Works, said Tameka Woodberry, the city's interim development director. Small manufacturers want good interstate access, which the bridge will provide, she said.
The Ohio Works park has four companies that have invested $50 million in buildings and equipment. The businesses employ more than 200 workers. Two other companies are building facilities now that will employ about 115 workers.
The 150 acres of former steel mill property is about 75 percent occupied.
The project helps the Ohio Works tenants and nearby V & amp;M Star, a steel pipe maker that is one of the city's largest employers with about 500 workers, McKelvey said.
The bridge, coupled with a recent $750,000 state-funded paving project of nearby U.S. Route 422, makes the area attractive to business, he said.
rgsmith@vindy.com