Neighborhoods

Monday, September 25, 2017

Implementation of the Parks Improvement Action Plan
continues with funding from the William Swanston Charitable Fund, managed by
the Community Foundation of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. 

Improvements have included repair and
resurfacing of the basketball court and walking trail at John White Park, new
climbing structures at John White and Homestead Parks, additional lighting at
Glenwood, Homestead, and John White Parks, camera installation at Glenwood and
Homestead Parks, and new benches, trash cans, and grills at Glenwood Homestead,
and John White Parks.

Monday, September 25, 2017

During July, August and September, YNDC’s Safe Routes to
School program has engaged 1,186 youth in pedestrian and bicycle safety
education.  

Walking School Buses have been held at Harding, Williamson,
Taft and Wilson Elementary Schools with 87 youth participating.
  Students were invited to meet at predetermined locations to walk to
school discussing pedestrian safety issues such as crossing the street,
utilizing crossing guards, and navigating neighborhoods and roads.
 Bicycles provided by the RedZone and City Kids Care were raffled off to
students in the Youngstown City School District.  YNDC provided a helmet
to each of the 800 bicycle winners demonstrating the proper way to wear a
helmet and discussing the importance of wearing one while riding bikes.  Bike
rodeos were held at the Youngstown Parks Summer Day Camp program and YMHA
properties, such as Rockford Village and Brier Hill, as well as community
events such as the Rayen Neighborhood Celebration, the South Side Academy Back
to School Bash, the Taft Back to School Bonanza and the Fall Fest Bike rodeo
educating 295 youth on the importance of wearing a helmet and safe bicycling
behaviors while providing obstacle courses to practice their skills.
 Youth can practice starting and stopping, weaving through cones, and
scanning behind them for traffic or other objects creating barriers for safe
passage.

Home Savings Charitable Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to help underwrite the nonprofit organization’s Community Financial Literacy Initiative. 

“We provide financial literacy services including one-on-one counseling for individuals seeking to own a home or start or expand a small business.” YNDC’s executive director, Ian Beniston, said in accepting the grant. “This year we are expanding the reach of the program to more low- to moderate-income households in underserved communities by providing these services at no cost to clients.”

“We’re proud to be able to support the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. in their mission to transform neighborhoods and change lives while overall improving the quality of life in the city of Youngstown” said Trish Gelsomino, Home Savings Charitable Foundation. “There are many people that benefit from their services within our communities.” To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

Donation to YNDC

YOUNGSTOWN - Home Savings Charitable Foundation recently donated a check for $25,000 to Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. The funds will be used for the Community Financial Literacy Initiative.

Free latte

CANFIELD - On National Coffee Day this Friday, Sheetz’s will offer a free pumpkin-pie latte of any size to all customers who order through the Sheetz app. This promotion is valid at all Sheetz locations for one day only on Friday. The Sheetz app is available on Apple and Android devices.

MCCTC flower shop

CANFIELD - The student-run flower shop at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center has opened its Fall Open House throughout the month of October. The shop will have a variety of fall silk floral arrangements and wreaths available. Fall mums are also available for sale and can be dressed for a gift or planted outside. The shop will be decorated and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Extended hours are available upon request. Customers can pick from a selection of pre-made items or purchase materials elsewhere and have the students create them a piece. Fresh arrangements for any occasion can be made to order with a few days notice. The shop is also taking orders for homecoming corsages.

To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

Gina’s Drive Thru, once located at 1942 Glenwood Avenue, was one of the worst nuisance properties on Glenwood Avenue.

Rife with crime, public intoxication and vagrancy, shutting thisstore down was a high priority for surrounding residents and business owners. After years of public outcry, the store finally closed its doors in 2015. Not long after, the building caught fire and became a public eyesore and safety hazard. YNDC partnered with the City of Youngstownto have the building demolished in late 2016, and conducted a community workday in March to clear cut the dense weeded overgrowth from the back of the property and clean up the surrounding sidewalks. In the summer of 2017, the property was graded and seeded through a partnership between YNDC staff and Ransom Ware of Ware’s Demolition, who provided technical support and assisted with site clearance and cleanup. This formerly nuisance property has now been converted into a community asset that complements the adjacent Mineral Springs garden. Treeplantings for the site are currently in the works to convert this lot into a usable public open space for the surrounding community.

State Sen. Joe Schiavoni wants to close a tax loophole that he says would generate $2.5 billion to fund components of a jobs plan he introduced Thursday. 

Schiavoni, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, revealed his plan at a news conference in front of Mahoning County Career & Technical Center and at JoeForJobs.com. Representatives of organized labor, small businesses, education and community development joined him at the press event. The plan Schiavoni, D-33 Boardman, outlined includes establishing a small business revolving microloan fund to help companies with fewer than 500 employees to meet capital needs, expand operations, and create and retain jobs. It would also boost funding for career tech education and business development, incentivize partnerships between business and higher education; upgrade the state’s infrastructure; clean brownfields and blight; and encourage green technology and other emerging industries. To read the full story from the Business Journal, click here.

Friday, September 29, 2017

On Thursday, September 28, Oak Hill residents and stakeholders met at the corner of Hillman and Warren for a meeting to review a draft of the Oak Hill Neighborhood Action Plan, recently created by YNDC and the City of Youngstown. 

The plan included recommendations for addressing residents' primary concerns: housing and property issues; infrastructure repair and maintenance; crime and safety concerns; and economic development.  The plan outlined goals for demolishing highly visible blighted structures, improving sidewalk conditions near neighborhood assets and bus stop locations, and improving Falls Playground.  All in attendance were given an opportunity to provide comments and input on the plan, which will be incorporated into the final draft of the plan.  The plan can be downloaded as a PDF below.

Friday, September 29, 2017

Throughout September 2017, YNDC AmeriCorps REVITALIZE members have been cutting and clearing brush back from sidewalks, removing dead trees, and completing other vacant lot improvement work.

In the weeks to come, AmeriCorps REVITALIZE members will begin planting dozens of trees along the corridor in an effort to restore the tree canopy.

The Seventh Annual Ohio Land Bank Conference was held Monday through Wednesday September 11th through the 13th at the Crown Plaza Hotel in downtown Cleveland.  

Presented by the Thriving Communities Program of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, members of 46 Land Banks throughout the State of Ohio, along with many others, met for two days of seminars, networking, and speeches. The keynote speaker of the event was former Ohio Treasurer (and current head of the Consumer Protection Bureau) Richard Cordray who stopped in for Lunch on his way to the West Coast.  While his aid was coy about whether or not he was going to run for governor, her boss sure delivered what was in effect a campaign speech.  The one comment of his that stuck out was that, when it comes to delinquent properties; “There’s no fixing until someone comes in the fix them.”  That’s where the Land Banks come in. There were seminars as well, at an extra cost, on location mobile workshops for those interested in getting out of the hotel and into the area. Cleveland’s Buckeye Neighborhood: A Case Study in Comprehensive Community Redevelopment and Rid All Green Partnership Growing Food, Jobs and Green Neighborhoods.  The one that intrigued me the most was the one done by Ian Beniston and Tiffany Sokol; the Executive Director of the Youngstown Development Corporation (YNDC).  They have managed without Federal subsidies or tax credits, to repurpose vacant houses in that city, sell them to permanent homeowners, and in the process increase the property values in ‘tipping point’ neighborhoods.  Last year, the YNDC rehab bed 23 homes.  The vast majority who work on the rehabs are local residents; laborers, electricians, etc., and they use Facebook to market them.  The average day a house is on the market is 2 days, compared to a 9 month average for homes in Youngstown as a whole.  Another interesting fact is that the deed requires the purchaser to occupy the house for at least five years. To read the full entry from the Mad Man on a Great Lake Blog, click here.

Monday, October 2, 2017

YNDC is proud to announce the publishing of its 3rd quarterly performance report of 2017!

The performance report highlights the work of YNDC over the 3rd quarter. An electronic copy can be downloaded below.