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Good Morning, Mahoning County provides area updates
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
From capital improvements in the Mill Creek MetroParks to more campus housing coming to Youngstown State University’s campus, there are several improvement and expansion projects being planned in Mahoning County.
Mill Creek, YSU, Mahoning County and Akron Children’s Hospital officials each gave an update on their respective projects Friday for the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s “Good Morning, Mahoning County” event at Fellows Riverside Gardens.
Over the next 15 years, Mill Creek MetroParks plans to complete $29 million in capital improvements. This year, the park plans to complete $3.2 million in improvements, 37 percent of which is covered by third-party contributions. At its Monday meeting, Mill Creek’s board will award two projects a part of this year’s capital improvements: the Wick Recreation Area water playground and Volney Rogers tennis courts.
In 2018, the park plans to have $5 million in capital improvements and already has secured $3.2 million from third parties for those improvements.
“We have lofty goals,” said Aaron Young, executive director of Mill Creek MetroParks.
Mahoning County Commissioner David Ditzler at the event explained the loss of funding the county – like all counties in the state – has seen since 2008. In total, the county lost use of tangible personal property tax, inheritance tax and saw funding cuts to local government by the state.
“It’s very important to keep financial stability in the county,” Ditzler said.
In 2015, the county’s sales and use tax increased 0.25 percent to 1.25 percent to cover the costs of the county’s justice system.
“Twenty counties have increased their sales tax just because of the need for additional funding because of state cuts,” Ditzler said.
The tax-increment financing district, created for Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, will provide $6.5 million to the county over a 10-year period. The TIF will help the county make improvements to Meridian Road, which will be started this year.
Also in the county, a new $3.8 million dog shelter is under construction on North Meridian Road and is expected to be finished this year.
On YSU’s campus, a $1.4 million Lincoln Avenue project recently was finished. The project includes paving, sewer improvements, sidewalks, signs, crosswalks, small pedestrian islands at intersections, and removing parking spaces on the north side of the street.
Improvements to Wick Avenue for a $4.1 million project are in progress. The street will be under construction through September.
The university has two new privately owned apartment complexes going up. University Edge is a $7.8 million complex built by Hallmark Campus Communities of Columbus that will be open by the fall semester. LRC Realty of Akron is developing The Enclave on Lincoln Avenue, which will include retail stores and student housing. The Enclave also will open in the fall. The campus also has a new bookstore under construction.
Akron Children’s Hospital’s Beeghly Campus on Market Street will complete its 51,000 square-foot expansion this summer. The $18.6 million project includes a two-story addition, renovations and a new entrance for the Beeghly campus. The expansion will increase the hospital’s primary-care capacity and relocate its specialty services from the Boardman Medical Pavilion to the Beeghly campus.
The goal of the expansion is “to provide more services closer to home,” said JoAnn Stock, director of development for the hospital.