Port authority continues to look for commercial airline opportunities
WARREN
The Western Reserve Port Authority continues its quest to bring commercial air service back to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
At a port authority board meeting Wednesday, WRPA Executive Director/interim aviation Director John Moliterno said he will travel to an air-service development conference in Memphis, Tenn., later this month, where he will have the opportunity to talk with airline representatives. The TakeOff conference is geared toward small- and midsized airports.
The airport, which the port authority operates, has been without commercial service since Allegiant Air left in January.
Separate from the conference, Moliterno said he also has meetings scheduled with numerous airlines, including American, Contour, ViaAir, Skywest and Ultimate.
“The goal is to get commercial activity back at the airport,” Moliterno said.
He said the conference also could be an opportunity to scout out potential aviation director candidates, but said WRPA officials are not concerned about filling that job right away. That position has been open since former director Dan Dickten left in April.
In other business, the board authorized the purchase of a building at 328 Mahoning Ave. NW from the city. The port authority’s economic development division will be responsible for working on a development plan, then selling it to the Trumbull County Historical Society. That arrangement allows the property to be sold directly to the historical society, whereas the city would have had to put it out for bid, said Anthony Trevena, economic development director for Northeast Ohio Development and Finance Authority, a division of the port authority.
The board also heard an update on the ongoing development of the former Youngstown Developmental Center site in Austintown. Numerous agencies are partnering on a plan to develop the campus into a facility that will serve community members in need with a variety of programs.
The WRPA has applied for a $500,000 state grant that would fund facility improvements that support long-term programming.