VIENNA — A $2.2 million federal grant will enable a flight school and aviation center to take off, with construction starting next year.

“This funding is critical to the project,” said Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority. “Without the $2.2 million, the project wouldn’t be real. Site work will start this year and construction will begin in 2025. The community will be proud of this facility.”

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announced the $2.2 million competitive grant Tuesday to WRPA for the flight school and aviation center.

The flight school started in a conference room at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, which WRPA operates, and then moved to a hangar. It has quickly run out of space with the demand for those wanting to be pilots, Trevena said.

“There’s a huge demand for pilots nationwide and huge demand locally to be taught how to be pilots,” he said.

Also, there is an aircraft maintenance program run by the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics at the airport that will be one of the new building’s tenants, Trevena said.

The building that will house the school and aviation center will be no larger than 10,000-square feet and will cost about $4.4 million, Trevena said.

The center already received $600,000 from the state and can use a portion of the $3 million the state gave the airport in 2023 for matching funds toward the project, Trevena said.

“We’ve got some more work to do, but we’re confident we’ll complete the” fundraising amount, he said. “We’ll start the site work soon.”

The center is required to create or retain at least 300 jobs over the next nine years, according to the grant.

Between instructors and students who “will get great-paying jobs,” reaching that 300-job total in nine years won’t be an issue, Trevena said.

WRPA is also working with Youngstown State University to make the flight training program part of the university, Trevena said. That will allow students to be eligible for federal financial aid, he said.

“When that happens, we won’t be able to keep up with demand,” he said.

In addition to the cost of building are the expenses for realigning sanitary and storm sewers at the airport, road construction and relocating fuel farms.

Gina Raimondo, secretary of commerce, said, “These EDA investments will support workforce development programs that will diversify Ohio’s economy by strengthening the state’s critical construction and aviation sectors and build regional economic resilience for decades to come.”

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, said the flight school and aviation center “will create opportunities for local Ohioans and support the local aviation industry. These investments will have a significant economic impact in (the area) by helping promote and recruit those interested in Ohio’s growing aviation industry.”

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, whose district includes Trumbull County, said: “As someone who has long championed policies to strengthen workforce training and close the skills gap, I am proud to see this critical funding to expand workforce development.”

He said the aviation center “will create jobs, grow the aviation workforce and spur economic development in my district.”