SitemapFor one weekend each month, the 365 E. Boardman St. home of the Youngstown Flea draws people from throughout the region to patronize the maker vendors who set up shop there. Youngstown Flea founder Derrick McDowell, who purchased the former industrial property three years ago, said he wants to see the building reach its full potential as a mixed-use community space and hopes that he can secure funding from the Appalachian Community Grant Program to help bring that about. “We’ve realized that we’ve got quite a gem here in this 150-year-old historic building,” he said. “It’s only right that we pursue the opportunity to open this place up and allow the community to experience the wonder that it has.”
McDowell’s request for $5.2 million in grant funds is among the more than $155.7 million being sought in a grant application to leverage projects in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties that would total more than $431.6 million. The multicounty grant application was submitted electronically Friday afternoon at an event held at America Makes. “I really believe they are strong projects,” said Kathy Zook, Appalachian Regional Commission program manager at Eastgate Regional Council of Governments. Eastgate, the regional infrastructure planning agency for Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula counties, was the lead applicant on the grant application.
Approximately $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds was earmarked for Ohio’s 32 Appalachian counties by the Ohio General Assembly and Gov. Mike DeWine with the passage of House Bill 377 in June 2022. The 41 projects covered in the grant requests funding for initiatives ranging from workforce development and downtown revitalization to streetscape enhancements and redevelopment along the Mahoning River. Other requests include money for new major projects by the Mahoning Valley’s two largest history societies, investments to assist two Ashtabula County mega sites and assistance for a thrombectomy-capable stroke center in Mahoning County.
To qualify, projects must address at least one of three priorities identified in HB 377: infrastructure, workforce or health care, according to documents from the Ohio Department of Development, which oversees the Governor’s Office of Appalachia. Additional criteria include having a transformational impact on their communities, being responsive to issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and being feasible for completion by October 2026. Awards are to be announced in February 2024. “Not only did we hit all three areas of investment, but we provided documentation to show if we’re successful how this is going to impact our community, and how we will work together to make sure that the project goes to completion and beyond,” Zook said. Added McDowell, “We can really take these spaces to the next level and start letting our community see the gem of a space like this,” with the state’s help.
One project is identified as an all-county project. The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is seeking $562,500, with a match of $661,000, to support development of what is described as a four-county workforce talent retention and attraction ecosystem. Local governments and private entities in Mahoning County are seeking funds for 17 projects. They include the Youngstown Business Incubator, which is seeking $10 million for a graduate additive manufacturing facility, and Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology, which wants $913,489 for Phase 4 of its renovation. The Western Reserve Port Authority is requesting support for two projects in the county, a Mahoning Valley workforce welcome center and redevelopment of a Belmont Avenue building.
Mercy Health Youngstown is requesting $5 million to support a $114 million thrombectomy-capable stroke center; QuickMed Urgent Care is seeking $2.8 million for redeveloping the former Silver’s Vogue Shop building, 27 W. Federal St.; Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. is seeking $4.9 million for Revitalize Glenwood; and the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, which recently acquired the former IBM Building on East Federal, is seeking nearly $3 million for facility expansion and improvement.
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