Girard mayor hasn’t heard from V&M Star Steel about land

YOUNGSTOWN — Girard Mayor James Melfi said if the fate of a potential $970 million V&M Star Steel project hinged on having 80 acres in his city become part of Youngstown, he would have already heard from company officials.

V&M officials want the Girard land, recently purchased by Youngstown for about $5 million to become part of Youngstown, said Jay Williams, the latter city’s mayor, and David Bozanich, its finance director.

If the land transfer doesn’t happen by Aug. 28, V&M will quite likely cancel the potential expansion plan, Williams said.

“Over the weekend, V&M company officials expressed concerns again,” Williams said today.

Melfi said V&M officials haven’t contacted him to express concern over his refusal to allow the 80 acres to become part of Youngstown.

“I don’t know [about this concern] first hand from V&M ,” he said. “If they’re so concerned I imagine they’ll call me.”

V&M Star President Roger Lindgren couldn’t be reached today to comment. V&M Star officials have repeatedly refused to discuss this potential project publicly.

V&M is considering an expansion near its Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard location on the border between the two cities. If it happens, the two cities are to split a 2.75 percent income tax imposed on those working there as well as a profit tax of the same percentage from the company. Each city would get about $1 million annually, Williams said.

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