A $1,450,000 grant announced on Wednesday is designed to help revitalize Youngstown’s Central Business District.

According to the Office of U.S. Senator Rob Portman, the POWER Grant was awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission to the Eastgate Council of Governments to install 10 miles of fiber conduit in downtown Youngstown.

The fiber conduit is a first step toward establishing a broadband network within the Youngstown SMART2 Network project.

Congressman Tim Ryan says the network will serve 212 business locations and create 119 new jobs, supporting businesses, healthcare, education, and residents working and learning remotely.

Multiple fiber-optic lines with a high-speed broadband network capable of download speeds of 100 Gbps would be put in place to  attract employment to the district.

Ryan says SMART2 will help reverse decades of outward migration and disinvestment by providing the basic infrastructure needed to support and attract business.

The project will capitalize on over $50 million in recent public and private investments. Matching funds are being provided through a BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a surface transportation block grant, Youngstown State University, Mercy Health, and other public and private partners. 

Congressionally funded Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) grants use federal resources to help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supplies.