YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County commissioners on Thursday approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Western Reserve Port Authority under which the port authority will acquire and renovate a former grocery store at 1915 Belmont Avenue for up to $7 million and a construction fee not to exceed $350,000. The facility will be owned by the county commissioners.

The commissioners, the Western Reserve Port Authority and the county Veterans Service Commission announced July 3 that the port authority will be renovating the 22,000-square foot building on Belmont Avenue to become the new Mahoning County Veterans Affairs office.

The location is across Francisca Avenue from the Carl Nunziato Veterans Affairs clinic, making it possible someday — in a second phase — to create a veterans Campus of Care that includes veteran housing on the Veterans Service Commission site, which totals 3.5 acres.

The port authority already has purchased the former Loblaw’s grocery store building for $350,000, said Sarah Lown, public finance manager for the port authority.

Randy Partika, project manager and development engineer for the port authority, evaluated the building before its purchase, and he will work with the architects in consultation with the Veterans Service Commission to design it.

Lown said the MOU results in a purchase order from the county to the port authority, which then authorizes the port authority to sign contracts to start work on the project. The first contract will be with BSHM Architects Inc., which has an office on South Champion Street in Youngstown, to design the renovations.

The port authority reviewed three architectural firms and BSHM came in the highest for qualifications and experience, Lown said.

After the engineering, planning and designs are complete, the port authority can go out to bid for construction, which Lown said earlier they hoped would begin next year and finish by September of next year.

POLAND PROJECT

The commissioners also approved a resolution to advance $124,800 in general fund money to the Poland Way Tax Increment Fund.

Audrey Tillis, county administrator, said the funds are being advanced so County Engineer Pat Ginnetti can use them now for funds that will be coming in through proceeds from tax incremental financing that was set up about eight years ago at The Inn at Poland Way assisted living at 6501 Poland Way in Poland Township.

A TIF program enables counties, municipalities and townships to exempt from real property taxation the new value added to a parcel or group of parcels as a result of new property investment, according to The Ohio State University Extension.

The funds will be used to make infrastructure improvements to Dobbins and Clingan roads, and two bridges on Dobbins Road, Tillis said. “This allows the project to move forward,” Tillis said. “It’s like a loan from the (county) general fund,” she said.”When the money comes back, you put it back in the general fund.”

A 10-year TIF for The Inn at Poland Way was created at about the time the facility was built around 2016.

According to the port authority website, the port authority estimated that $718,320 would be generated by the TIF. The funds were going to pay for a 600-foot public access road, sanitary sewer lines on Route 224, resurfacing of Clingan Road, and other roads and other work.

Tax increment financing helps developers, governmental entities and other organizations finance improvements such as utility lines, streets, curbs and parking facilities, according to the port authority web site.

TIF financing lowers the cost of construction and provides borrowing terms of up to 30 years, the website states.

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