Roughly a month ago, on , Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart was desperately trying to find some water for its proposed superstore on Belmont Avenue in the old Liberty Plaza in Liberty, Ohio---but politics was keeping the tap shut. Liberty township's Administrator, Patrick Ungaro, told officials that Wal-Mart informed him in July that their superstore project is on ice over the issue of water.
Delays on this project are not a new issue. Last year at this time, Wal-Mart indicated that they were putting the project on hold for its own internal reasons-mainly due to a change in Wal-Mart's growth plans. The township was ready for the project last year. The fire department had approved plans to tear down the existing Liberty Plaza buildings. The only unhappy party was Forum Health-which rented space in the Plaza that they didn't want to vacate. Forum Health, which used its rental space in the plaza for its finance department, held up the Wal-Mart project for months, because the health care company did not want to pay for moving costs. An agreement was eventually reached between Forum, the plaza's previous owners, and Wal-Mart.
In July of 2007, Administrator Ungaro told the Vindicator newspaper, "The plans are approved. The land will be transferred and everything is ready to go." But now, more than a year later, no work has begun on the site. Wal-Mart told Liberty officials last month that unless the township and the city of Youngstown, Ohio agree to set up a Joint Economic Development District (JEED), which allows Youngstown to supply water to the Liberty Plaza site, the supercenter could be in trouble. A JEDD is an agreement between two communities to share services in exchange for compensation. Construction on the supercenter was slated to begin this summer. A Wal-Mart spokesman told the Times-Chronicle newspaper, "At this time, our plans are to continue to move forward with this project." Liberty township officials met with Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams last month to talk about setting up a JEED on a site near Liberty Plaza---but not part of the Wal-Mart site. "We thought that would be a good idea for the developer of the property, the township and the city," Ungaro told the Chronicle. "Now, they also are talking about a JEDD on Belmont Avenue." The township thinks Youngstown has waded into water over its head, because the Liberty Plaza site already has waterlines, and Liberty sees no reason for the JEED there. All this has caused waves at the Trumbull County, Ohio level. County Commissioner Frank Fuda said that the Mayor of Youngstown did not have the legal right to stop a project in Trumbull county. "I don't think he can do that," Fuda told the Chronicle. "The waterline is already there. I question whether they can pick and choose who they deliver water to. Youngstown has been selling water to the plaza." Fuda has called in the county Prosecutor's Office to see how he can stop Mayor Williams from denying water toWal-Mart. "If they don't want to sell us water, we will get it from Girard or from Niles, Ohio," Fuda warned. "We are not going to allow Youngstown to stop progress in Trumbull County." For his part, Youngstown Mayor Williams says the whole controversy has bubbled over.