Neighborhoods

The Youngstown Press Club has announced its inaugural Hall of Fame class and First Amendment award honoree.

To be inducted are Stan Boney and Ralph Zerbonia and the late Bob Black. Also receiving the first-ever Youngstown Press Club First Amendment Award is The Vindicator Printing Company.

The ceremony and dinner is 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown. Ticket information can be found at www.yopressclub.com.

LUNCH & LEARN THIS WEEK: The approximately $250 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding coming to the Mahoning Valley will be the topic at the Lunch & Learn program Tuesday at Youngstown Country Club.

The luncheon, presented by the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber and Youngstown Foundation, is 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and costs $10 per person.

The panelists include Terrence Slaybaugh, vice president, sites and infrastructure, JobsOhio; Carol Rimedio-Righetti, Mahoning County commissioner; Warren Councilwoman, Cheryl Saffold, D-6th Ward; and Jim Kinnick, executive director, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments. Guy Coviello, chamber president / CEO, will moderate.

To see the full story from Tribune Chronicle, click here.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

On Wednesday, September 22, Christ Church Presbyterian made a $25,000 donation to YNDC.

Huge thanks to Christ Church Presbyterian for the support!

The $750,000 in American Rescue Plan funding Mahoning County commissioners allocated Thursday will go toward helping county residents with emergency home repairs, as well as the development of a fully handicapped-accessible summer camp in Coitsville.

Commissioners on Thursday allocated $500,000 from the county’s expected $44 million in ARP COVID-19 relief funding to Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, which will use the money to help low- to moderate-income homeowners in Mahoning County with emergency home repairs — things like a “severely deteriorated and actively leaking roof,” furnaces or significant plumbing issues, said Executive Director Ian Beniston.

“We do a significant volume. We have seen, since the pandemic began, even greater call volume,” he told Mahoning Matters on Thursday. “The office manager was just telling me today that we have 36 emergency repair calls today.”

Beniston thinks some homeowners may have pushed off repairs amid the pandemic — possibly due to lost income — or perhaps the fact that people were spending more time at home may have caused utilities to fail sooner than expected.

To see the full story from Mahoning Matters, click here.

Monday, September 27, 2021

On Thursday, September 23, the Mahoning County Commissioners awarded $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funding to YNDC to provide emergency home repair services throughout Mahoning County.

The funds will be used to assist low income homeowners with emergencies such as roof replacement, furnace, and plumbing repairs at no cost. Huge thank you to the Mahoning County Commissioners for the support!

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Gloria has lived in her home for over 20 years. Her roof was leaking severely throughout her home and she had constant furnace issues.

By replacing Gloria’s roof and furnace, YNDC prevented further damage to her home and gave her peace of mind knowing that her furnace is now safe. “I had lots of problems and I was trying to take them on myself but I couldn’t do it. It is a godsend. It’s amazing because now I don’t have to climb that ladder anymore and try to fix the roof,” Gloria said.

Nearly 200 community development professionals from across Ohio and the region will gather here and virtually next week for the 37th Annual Conference of the Ohio CDC Association.

Meeting at the DeYor Performing Arts Center, DoubleTree by Hilton Youngstown Downtown, and The Youngstown Flea, this year’s conference highlights the Mahoning Valley’s resiliency, community economic development, and partnerships and collaborations. 

“Community development corporations across the state are empowering communities to take local action creating local results,” says Nate Coffman, executive director of the Ohio CDC Association. “Given the pandemic’s disparate impacts on low-income and communities of color, the work of community developers is increasingly vital to an equitable recovery. We’re excited to visit Youngstown to shine a light on their collaborative spirit and innovative strategies that are improving the quality of life and creating economic opportunities throughout the Mahoning Valley.”

To see the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

Monday, October 4, 2021

YNDC is proud to announce the publishing of its performance report from the 3rd Quarter of 2021! 

The performance report highlights the work of YNDC from July to September 2021. An electronic copy can be downloaded below.

Nearly 100 students in the Sokolov Honors College at Youngstown State University recently participated in the Global Day of Service at multiple sites throughout the Mahoning Valley.

“Global Day is a long-standing tradition in the Honors College that not only introduces students to serving others but also helps them get to know the community, which is especially helpful for our students who aren’t from the local area,” said Lexi Rager, assistant director of the College.

Students participated in projects ranging from cleaning and packaging materials for Silly Science Sunday at OH WOW! to planting trees with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and doing landscaping and clean-up at St Angela Merici Parish, the Jewish Community Center and Ursuline Ministries.

To see the full story from Youngstown State University, click here.

The city has expanded its partnership with the company tasked with selling and redeveloping 20 Federal Place with a new contract approved Thursday by the Board of Control. 

Under the contract, the city will pay $25,000 to Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners for technical assistance and strategic counsel related to redevelopment of the former Strouss’ department store building. The contract runs through Dec. 30.

St. Louis-based Steadfast was initially hired under an Appalachian Regional Commission initiative last year to assist the city with the sale and redevelopment of the 332,000-square-foot building. 

Under the new contract, Steadfast will provide its expertise once the city administration and City Council make their choice regarding how they will proceed with the property, said city finance director Kyle Miasek. 

The city received two proposals this summer from potential developers. Warren developer Mark Marvin withdrew his company’s proposal following a July 6 walk-through of the property, leaving the proposal submitted by Desmone, a Pittsburgh architectural firm, as the sole active one. The city’s request for proposals, however, left open the possibility of accepting other submissions submitted following its June 1 deadline. 

To see the full story from The Business Journal, click here.

Monday, October 4, 2021

The PNC Foundation has awarded a $7,500 grant to YNDC for emergency home repair.

The funds will be used to assist low income homeowners with emergencies such as roof replacement, furnace, and plumbing repairs at no cost. Thank you PNC Foundation for the support!