EAST LIVERPOOL: The nearly $29,000 being spent on roof repairs to an industrial building in Leetonia owned by the Columbiana County Port Authority may be the first of many capital improvement projects undertaken in the coming years by the port authority. The port authority board acted at this week’s meeting to approve CEO Penny Traina’s decision to sign a contract with Eichler Construction of Salem for repair of the 4,000-square-foot roof over the loading dock of the building on Cherry Fork Avenue in Leetonia for $28,750. Traina, who signed the contract on Dec. 2, said Eichler’s quote was the lowest of the three solicited from local businesses. The building houses several port authority tenants, and Traina, who took over as CEO last March, said the roof has likely needed to be repaired for sometime. She indicated more building improvements may be on the way in 2017 and coming years because they are going to be setting aside $250,000 annually for capital improvement projects of this sort.
Addressing the port authority’s infrastructure needs is just one of Traina’s policy goals for 2017. She said the port authority is the local administrator of the Ohio One system used by Jobs Ohio, which can be used by businesses to search for available commercial property in the state. She said the state is launching a new GIS to go with it starting in January that will provide much more detailed information about the property, including an aerial photograph.
“This program is under-utilized and our goal in 2017 is to assist the local government officials to utilize this free (economic development) tool through the port authority,” he said. Traina also reported they intend to roll out a business retention and expansion program. “I’ll be knocking on doors and offering our assistance” to businesses interested in expanding or needing help keeping jobs, she said. “We want to let them know we are here.” Traina spent 2016 reintroducing the port authority to local governments and economic development agencies in the county and she intends to expand those efforts next year to city and village councils and local Realtors. She also wants to meet with officials in adjacent counties and the Port of Pittsburgh to discuss her willingness to work with them on any economic projects of mutual benefit.
