Port rents space for Walmart renovation

EAST LIVERPOOL — The Columbiana County Port Authority will be $21,000 richer for leasing storage space to Walmart for materials the giant discount chain will use to renovate a local store. The port authority board at Monday’s meeting agreed to lease Walmart 35,000 square feet of warehouse space at its property on Harvey Avenue until mid-August. The lease is for $25,000, with $4,000 going to the broker, Cassidy Turley. Port Authority Chief Executive Office Tracy Drake is unsure whether the Wal-Mart in Calcutta is the one to be renovated, but he said Walmart leased storage space from them when it renovated the local store four to five years ago. Drake also reported that Baard Energy officials indicated they are getting closer to putting the finishing touches on the private financing package necessary to proceed with plans to build a $6 billion coal-to-liquid fuel plant outside of Wellsville. When the project was announced in mid-2006, construction was expected to begin by mid-2008 and the plant to be producing fuel by the middle of 2011. Drake said Baard officials are telling him to be prepared by June to exercise the various options to purchase land for the plant, with site work to begin in July. In other action, the port authority adopted a resolution in support of efforts by county commissioners to seek voter renewal of the 1 percent county sales tax in the May 4 election. Board member Rob Johnson introduced the resolution, saying although the port authority doesn’t receive any sales tax dollars, the entire county benefits from having a financially stable county government. Drake had a letter of support prepared, which stated “passage of the renewal will help Columbiana County maintain basic services that any employer looking to locate or stay in the county depends upon.” He also said county government ranks among the lowest in Ohio in terms of spending per resident. The port authority’s next meeting is 5 p.m. April 19. tgiambroni@mojonews.com