Strickland names mayor to environmental council

By Harold Gwin

Youngstown got an $854,935 brownfield site grant from the fund in December.

YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s mayor has been appointed to the state panel that determines who gets Clean Ohio Fund money to finance environmental projects and programs.

Jay Williams was named a member of the Clean Ohio Council on Friday by Gov. Ted Strickland.

“It’s good for the city, good for the Valley,” Williams said, explaining that local representation on the panel shows that the current administration is recognizing the needs of this area, and that the area has shown it can put the money from this fund to good use.

The 14-member council was created to select projects that will receive grants and low-interest loans from the Clean Ohio Fund. The Clean Ohio Fund was launched in 2002 after Ohio’s voters approved a $400 million bond issue in 2000 to fund it.

Fund proceeds go to projects providing green space conservation, revitalization, trails and agricultural easement purchases.

Williams said he was approached by people in Columbus to apply for the appointment.

“We’ve had success in Clean Ohio Council,” the mayor said pointing out that Youngstown has secured a number of grants since the fund was set up.

The latest is an $854,935 grant awarded in December for a brownfield site improvement on the city’s North Side.

The money comes from the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund.

It will pay for the remediation and demolition of the YBM Corp. manufacturing facility at Logan Avenue and Hubbard Road. The plant, which made ready-mix concrete, closed in 1989, and the city took ownership in 2002.

Four buildings and some concrete structures are to be razed, and the city would like to turn the 91‚Ñ2-acre site into a location for light industrial development.

Williams said his appointment to the council ensures that Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley have a seat at the table along with other cities across the state.

gwin@vindy.com