Port Authority to purchase the WIC building

LISBON -- The Columbiana County Port Authority's stable of properties grew again Monday night, with the board agreeing to buy the WIC building just down the street for $300,000 as a great investment.

"Taking ownership of this building is fabulous for the long term," board Chairman Charlie Presley said.

The brick building which is located at 7876 Lincole Place, in the same complex as the Port Authority headquarters, has been owned the past nearly 30 years by the Portage County Commissioners and houses the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program operated by the Portage County Combined General Health District and serving Columbiana County residents.

"We have a healthy tenant with WIC in the building," Port Authority CEO/Executive Director Penny Traina said.

A lease agreement for WIC for 2,500 square feet on the first floor will take effect April 1 for $1,875 per month. Now Traina said they'll be able to market the rest of the building, which includes 2,500 square feet in the basement with nine offices, a kitchenette and private entrance. The basement was previously occupied many years ago by the 4-H program and OSU Extension office.

Anyone interested in the space can contact the Port Authority.

Traina said the Port Authority was made aware that the building could be for sale. She said it's a very nice space and "we felt that was a good investment for the real estate portfolio."

The hope is to bring more jobs to the area when the space is leased, she said.

Besides the headquarters, also on Lincole Place, and the WIC location, the rest of the port authority's real estate portfolio includes the industrial building on Cherry Fork, Leetonia where the Global Investment Hub construction is ahead of schedule, the World Trade Park in Leetonia where 45 acres are available and a 60,000-square-foot spec building is being constructed, the Wellsville Intermodal facility and the fiber line between Columbiana and Mahoning counties.

Traina delivered another piece of good news to the board regarding a $175,000 technical assistance grant/development funding from the Appalachian Community Grant Program.

"We're very excited to be moving forward," she said.

The Port Authority applied for the funding on behalf of the Columbiana County Commissioners and she expressed her thanks to Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted for having the vision to put money into the Appalachian counties.

She explained the development funding was made possible by $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act money, with the initial round requiring awardees to have partners in place to begin construction or implementation of projects within 90 days.

In this case, she said there's a steering committee made up of representatives from various communities and entities in the county that will meet to come up with a plan, which then must be submitted for the second round of development grants by December to cover implementation of the plans. Projects must be complete by Oct. 31, 2026.

"This funding is to develop and plan for economic development that could ultimately transform Columbiana County in a multitude of ways. Through projects related to downtown revitalization, trail development, workforce initiative, health care and educational efforts we believe the quality of life in Columbiana County will be greatly improved," she said.

Only local government and government-related entities from the 32 Appalachian counties are eligible to apply as lead applicants. The port authority is one of those lead applicants.

In other business, the board reduced the lease for Humtown Products at the Leetonia Industrial Building by 3,170 square feet, reducing the monthly rent by $792 to $23,686 per month. The reduction in space is to make room for the Global Investment Hub. Traina said there have already been meetings with two foreign companies interested in being tenants of the hub.

The board also approved another six-month lease with The Ex-One Company for 1,780 square feet of space at the Leetonia Industrial Building at a cost of $1,188 per month. Revisions were also approved to the bylaws related to signatures and the documents retention policy. The board approved a new credit card through Consumers National Bank. Traina explained that this will take the place of a credit card the Port Authority previously had at Farmers National Bank. She noted the credit card usage is limited for Port Authority business only.

The next regular meeting will be 5 p.m. May 22.

mgreier@mojonews.com