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Youngstown council agrees to expansion projects
YOUNGSTOWN
City council agreed to provide up to $150,000 to a food-packaging business and a 10-year tax abatement to an aluminum can and bottle company for expansion projects.
Council voted Wednesday to authorize the board of control to provide the money to Valley Foods and the abatement to Exal Corp.
Valley Foods is expanding its operations to the former Weatherbee Coat Factory at 439-461 E. Federal St.
The money from the city is going to offset half the cost of installing water and wastewater lines to the Weatherbee property.
Valley Foods sells fresh, frozen foods to customers such as school systems and the military.
The company is keeping its location on East Boardman Street and wants to use the former Weatherbee site for food packaging.
The company purchased the land for $226,000 and plans to make about $350,000 in improvements there.
In addition, the city received a $657,396 state grant to demolish and clean up portions of the site.
The city received 10 proposals for the work, but only one was deemed worthy.
The nine others have various issues that disqualify them from consideration, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of the city’s public works department.
Because of that, Shasho is recommending the board of control seek new proposals, which should only delay the work by a few weeks.
The board will consider Shasho’s recommendation today.
Council agreed to permit the board of control to give a 10-year, 75-percent real property-tax abatement to Exal Corp.
The company wants to build a 10,689-square-foot expansion to its current location at the city-owned Performance Place Business Park on Poland Avenue.
The company has about 300,000 square feet at that site with about 400 employees.
The $1.4 million expansion would add about 25 workers.
The abatement will save Exal about $12,500 annually, said city Finance Director David Bozanich.
Because of problems with the wording of legislation, council agreed to postpone a vote to provide up to $200,000 for the new home of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society: the Harry Burt/Ross Radio building at 325 W. Federal St.
The proposal will be back in front of council shortly, said Councilman Jamael Tito Brown, D-3rd.
Also Wednesday, council authorized the board of control to accept an $87,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The grant would be used for police overtime to help take illegal guns off the streets, said Police Chief Jimmy Hughes.