Ryan secures funds for 2 projects

The bill also will provide money for improvements to Mahoning Avenue.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The U.S. House's transportation appropriations bill provides $200,000 toward the construction of the proposed Youngstown Technology Center and the same amount for improvements to Mahoning Avenue.
The legislation still needs to be passed by the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, said he was able to include language in the bill, approved Wednesday by the House, for the two projects.
Tech center
The technology center is to be built next to the Youngstown Business Incubator on West Federal Street.
The building is planned to be 25,000 square feet and cost $5.2 million. Two companies housed at the incubator, which is 100 percent occupied, plan to move to the technology center, freeing up space at the incubator.
Through federal and state grants, $4.2 million has been raised for the new center. This $200,000 would bring the project closer to reaching its financial goal.
The incubator offers firms free office space, furniture, telephone hardware, utilities, high-speed Internet connectivity, and early stage legal and accounting services. It houses six companies with 168 employees.
Road work
Pending Senate approval, the bill would provide $200,000 to make safety and capacity improvements to Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown from Meridian Road east to the entrance ramp to Interstate 680.
Also, U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland of Lisbon, D-6th, included language in the bill to provide $200,000 toward an extension project for McClurg Road at Market Street in Boardman.
The project will accommodate the increased traffic expected when the St. Elizabeth Boardman Campus that opens next year, Strickland said.