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Algae-to-energy plant planned in city
By Denise Dick
By DENISE DICK
YOUNGSTOWN
Plans are under way for an algae-to-energy facility in the Ohio Works Industrial Park.
City council Wednesday unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the board of control to negotiate terms and enter a 30-year land lease with M&J Development of the city, for two lots totaling about 8 acres.
The land is in the Ohio Works Industrial Park and is on either side of M7 Technologies, near the Brier Hill area on the city’s North Side.
The board of control consists of the mayor and law and finance directors.
The company plans to invest about $2.5 million to build an algae cultivation and processing facility for energy reuse.
T. Sharon Woodberry, Youngstown’s economic development director, said the company plans ponds on the land. Algae is a by-product of carbon dioxide. The company believes that there are several commercial applications, she said.
David Bozanich, city finance director, said the company plans the facility as a “showplace for the technology” where other companies will be able to see how it works.
“Most industry participants believe algal production will focus on four biofuels: biodiesel, jet fuel, ethanol and gasoline,” according to an article in Algae Industry Magazine.com.
Mike Garvey, owner of M7 Technologies, couldn’t be reached.
In other business, council approved ordinances authorizing the board of control to enter a development agreement with VXI Global Solutions to bring 600 jobs.
The Los Angeles-based call-center company employs about 500 people on the fourth floor of the city-owned 20 Federal Place office building.
The company wants to expand to the fifth floor and add about 600 jobs.
One ordinance authorizes the board of control to enter a development agreement with VXI to facilitate the renovation of the roughly 30,000-square-foot space.
The amount of the economic-development grant is not to exceed $1.2 million to offset VXI’s improvements at the site.
Another ordinance authorizes the board of control to negotiate terms and enter an agreement with the company to lease the fifth floor of the Federal Place building.
The third ordinance authorizes the BOC to waive fees for building, water and wastewater permits for the VXI expansion.