February 11, 2003

Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber Foundation's commitment to building the infrastructure in the Youngstown-Warren area through its Grow Mahoning Valley project, has earned a $10,000 Community Impact Award, an award that is co-sponsored by Dominion East Ohio and Inside Business magazine.

In the eighth annual award competition, Dominion awarded $50,000 to seven winners selected by a panel of judges from 65 entries submitted by organizations throughout northeast Ohio. The award recognizes cities or groups that have made an impact in the community. Grant funds come from the Dominion Foundation.

Getting funding to complete the state Route 711 connector linking Youngstown and Warren is one of the more symbolic achievements of Grow Mahoning Valley (GMV), a public-private partnership with a goal of uniting the region. GMV has helped attract more than $180 million in investment to the valley for more than 20 infrastructure projects, including the $12.3 million improvement to the interchange at state Route 46, and interstate 80 in Austintown and the $62 million Meander Bridge replacement on I-80.

"We support the outstanding efforts of all the people involved in these award-winning projects," said Jay L. Johnson, president and chief executive officer. "Their work goes a long way in revitalizing our communities and making them better places in which to live, work and play."

Other Community Impact Award winners include:

• The Community Hall Foundation's massive renovation project that restored the Akron Civic Theatre to its days of old;
• Ohio City Near West Development Corporation for its massive renovation and redevelopment of the former Fries and Schuele building in Ohio City, which now includes a market and apartments;
• Slavic Village Development, for a project that helped preserve Mill Creek Falls in the Warner Road-Turney Road neighborhood;
• ParkWorks, for its beautification project at Orchard School Community Park;
• Stark County Regional Planning, for the StockPile program, which helps needy families with funding and supplies for emergency repairs to their homes; and
• Common Wealth Inc., for Sycamore Place, an apartment complex for seniors in Campbell.

Dominion has a diversified and integrated energy portfolio consisting of about 24,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion also serves more than 3.8 million franchise natural gas and electric customers in five states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

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