Water concerns may hold up Wal-Mart, officials say

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

Officials say Youngstown wants a Joint Economic Development District.

LIBERTY — Township officials have been exuberant about the coming of a Wal-Mart Supercenter but now fear that project may be on hold because of water concerns with the city of Youngstown.

Half of the Liberty Plaza on Belmont Avenue met with the wrecking ball earlier this year in anticipation of a new Wal-Mart store, and the other half of the plaza changed ownership.

Wal-Mart purchased about 55 percent of the plaza property to build its store. Plans call for the store to face Belmont.

Township Administrator Pat Ungaro has championed the coming of the large retailer for months but said the project may now be up in the air.

“I got a call from [zoning inspector] Jim Rodway, who was told by Wal-Mart engineers that unless Liberty did a JEDD, Youngstown was not going to give them water. I in turn called the engineers and they confirmed this with me,” Ungaro said. “I also spoke with Wal-Mart. They are concerned and don’t know how to pursue.”

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams said nothing has been decided about a Joint Economic Development District with the township. He said the city and township are merely having discussions about the possibility.

“There are talks at this point about sharing revenue between Youngstown and Liberty, but at this time, those talks are ongoing,” said Williams. “We were actually approached by some officials from Liberty, and talks have been ongoing since that time.”

According to Ungaro, township Trustee Gary Litch was the official who approached the city with JEDD concerns. He said the other two trustees — Jodi Stoyak and Jack Simon — did not express interest in entertaining a JEDD, so it is not something he pursued.

“I work for three trustees and I did not feel as though I had two trustees who wanted to pursue a JEDD. Gary did this on his own. It was his opinion.”

Litch, contacted late Tuesday afternoon, said he had no comment on the matter.

Simon said he was aware of JEDD discussions with the city but not about the plaza property. Those discussions, he said, were supposed to be about new waterlines installed in the township.

“I was not aware, nor do I approve of, a JEDD in the area of the plaza. In my mind, JEDDs would be used for new development. There were already existing buildings and employees on the plaza property,” he said.

Stoyak said trustees had only considered a JEDD for undeveloped land.

She added that Litch told her that he was going to talk to the city about a JEDD, and she asked that the board of trustees meet first. “We never met, we never discussed this. Then, I hear this — and I’m truly shocked,” Stoyak said.

She said she doesn’t want anything to impede the Wal-Mart project.

Ungaro said regardless of how the talks came to be, he is concerned about keeping the Wal-Mart in the township.

“Whatever trustees want to do, that is up to them. But I am trying to keep Wal-Mart. I am concerned about their reaction to this,” he said. “This is another obstacle we have to go through to keep this project.”

Ungaro, himself a former Youngstown mayor, questions who owns the waterlines and if the city can legally impose a JEDD.

Williams said he is researching ownership of the waterlines the city supplies in Trumbull County. He said he believes, however, there is an agreement that stipulates the city must maintain those lines and provide water.

Williams would not give any details on the JEDD discussions but said there should be no assumption that the discussions with Liberty are the same as discussions with Austintown and Boardman townships. He said JEDD discussions can take on many forms.

jgoodwin@vindy.com