Valley lawmakers secure $250,000 for Youngstown Air Reserve Base
Valley lawmakers worked until 11:55pm on Wednesday in Columbus to secure $250,000 in state funding for the Youngstown Air Reserve Base.
Valley lawmakers worked until 11:55pm on Wednesday in Columbus to secure $250,000 in state funding for the Youngstown Air Reserve Base.
The money will go towards the purchase of a building that will be transformed into a deployment hub for troops. And in turn help secure the future of the base.
The cargo facility located off of Ridge Road and currently owned by the Port Authority is just an empty building right now.
John Boccieri is a State Representative in the 59th District, "What the Air Force would like to do is make this a point of entry and departure for deploying troops and we're one of the only Air Force bases in the country that has a USO here. And the thinking is that this wouldn't just be used for the air men and women serving across the ramp, but largely for all military branches who are in the vicinity,
the Austintown Guard Unit, the Pennsylvania Transportation Unit -- so this is the type of facility that could really put us on the map."
Colonel James Dignan the Commander of the 910th Airlift Wing came up with the idea to expand the mission capabilities of the airbase.
However, state lawmakers were disappointed that the money was not available in the capital budget process for the project. But a member of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce told lawmakers about money from a Lordstown project that was no longer viable and Lordstown's Mayor agreed to help reallocate the funds to the airbase.
Sean O'Brien is a State Representative for the 63rd District, "No longer are we just an air cargo, air lift wing station, not just an aerial spray. But we can be an embarkation/debarkation point for troops. Which will have a huge economic impact in the area as well as adding mission capabilities and helping us survive BRAC (the Base Realignment and Closure Commission), when the military looks to cut back bases we will have so many more capabilities that this will help us survive into the future."
Currently the Youngstown Air Reserve Base is the third largest employer in the Mahoning Valley.
And Colonel Dignan and others say the addition of a deployment hub would go a long way to boost the local economy, secure jobs and boost national security.
"Actually something that the valley can be proud of to make the 910th Airlift Wing and the Air Force Reserve viable for the long run and the long term. We can grow the mission here and further cement our long term sustainability here in the valley," Colonel Dignan said.
