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Published:Tuesday, August 19, 2008
LIBERTY — Plans to build the much anticipated Wal-Mart Supercenter on Belmont Avenue are now on hold indefinitely, and the city of Youngstown is at the heart of that decision, says a township official.
Township Trustee Jodi Stoyak said Wal-Mart officials have put plans to build the store on hold. She said water supply issues with the city of Youngstown are at the core of the decision to put the brakes on the project.
“This is very disturbing to me and will be disturbing to the rest of this community,” she said.
According to Stoyak, Wal-Mart officials left a message on the voicemail of Township Administrator Pat Ungaro today saying that the company was ready to go out for bids in the building process, but Youngstown informed the company that it would be required to hire 25 percent of its workforce from Youngstown in order to receive city water.
But Mayor Jay Williams said, “The city of Youngstown’s water application has been in affect for over 20 years.”
Williams says the application was put in place by Ungaro, a former Youngstown mayor. Williams said he last spoke with Ungaro last week, and has attempted to reach him about the issue.
“... If this [building] program is being put on hold, it is because of the incompetency of either Liberty or the people at Wal-Mart.”
Williams said he first heard of the issue through the media.
Stoyak said Wal-Mart does not want to agree to hire 25 percent of its employees from the city because doing so would tie the company’s hands in future hiring practices.
She said the request from the city deletes the possibility of jobs for anyone in the area, including the city.
For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.
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What comes around goes around Ungaro...............
Mayor Jay is killing the Mahoning Valley jobs development with his Youngstown first demands. He didn't get his way on the water for income tax JEDD, so he does an end around that stops the project demanding 25% of the jobs go to Youngstown people. If the Walmart project in Liberty fails, it will be all on the shoulders of Mayor Jay. Wake up and smell the roses of new jobs in the Mahoning Valley that benefit all Mayor Jay, not the rag weeds of Youngstown's failed economy that cause us all to sneeze.
I Mayor Jay would have left good enough alone, about 25% of employees would probably have been from Youngstown. I have got to say, I am hating this town more and more. I moved here 18 years ago with my family from Los Angeles. We wanted a more homey type town, but man times like this really make you miss home.
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