Board approves issues tied to V&M expansion

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The city’s board of control approved several items Thursday relating to V&M Star.

The board agreed to a partial payment of $25,000 to the city of Girard, per the cooperation agreement for income-tax sharing.

Youngstown is required to pay Girard 50 percent of all reported operations withholding it receives in 2011, in excess of $1,024,000 form the original V&M site.

The board also extended its agreement with the Ohio Rail Development Commission, which was set to expire Dec. 31. The agreement is a standard procedure and related to work on a roughly $14 million railroad construction project by Great Lakes Construction Co. of Hinckley on behalf of the city at the V&M expansion site, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of the city’s public works department.

“The project had been delayed, and we reached the end of the agreement. The project will be completed before the end of 2012,” Shasho said.

He said the work includes new rail sidings and track lines and is funded by federal stimulus money.

Another item the board approved Thursday was a reduction of about $96,000 in the railroad project’s contract, making the project’s total contract amount $13,979,374.45.

The reduction was the result of a “construction change order,” Shasho said.