OK likely for loan for PONY tourney

Officials are expected to back foreign trade zone status for Commerce Park.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Though it is not what he had sought, PONY softball tournament organizer David Anderson will get a $50,000 loan, part of it from Trumbull County commissioners, if commissioners follow through today on their plans.
At a work session Tuesday, Commissioner Paul Heltzel said he supported giving Anderson the $50,000 loan to help with preparations for a softball tournament in late July at eight baseball complexes in Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
The tournament is expanding from last year, when it hosted the 16-and-under tournament and featured 120 teams. This year, teams in three divisions, including the 10 and under and 12 and under, will play here, and 320 teams are expected.
Heltzel said he opposes giving a second $50,000 loan -- that one from the county's Revolving Loan Fund -- saying the financial statements and projections Anderson provided didn't make a strong case for Anderson's ability to repay the loan.
Heltzel said last week that it also appeared that Anderson was using the same assets to back both $50,000 loan requests.
Commerce Park
In other business, commissioners are expected at their meeting today to approve a resolution and letter of support for assigning foreign trade zone status to 46.5 acres of Warren Commerce Park.
Eleven acres of the status would be for a former Delphi Packard building on North River Road where the company Leedsworld is considering building a manufacturing facility. The status would be reassigned to the park from areas at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport that doesn't need the status, Knapp said.
They are also expected to approve a collective bargaining agreement with the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association for the 20 workers at the county 911 center. The workers' last contract expired at the end of 2004.
The new contract calls for wage increases of 2 percent in 2006, 2.5 percent in 2007 and 2 percent in 2008. The first year, hourly wages increase from $14.74 to $15.04 an hour. All employees are paid at the same wage. It includes a 10 percent employee share of health insurance costs and would add a $75 emergency room co-pay for the first time and increase prescription costs.