Neighborhoods

Beyond Expectations Barber College opened its doors Tuesday at 2246 Glenwood Ave. in Youngstown.

The school, which was founded in 2013 in Akron, offers an 1,800-hour program that teaches students everything they need to know to become certified barbers and better community members.
The program includes 1,200 hours of haircutting instruction, 200 hours of theory and doing bookwork, 100 hours of practical work, and 300 hours of instruction in “how important it is to become a part of the community,” co-owner and director of BEBC Daniel Williams said.

The college periodically presents free haircutting events at local schools. Students are also taught about the importance of voting and knowing their city council and state representatives. Additionally, students are taught about paying taxes – something that can be hard to navigate when working in a cash-based business, Williams added.

BEBC offers 11-month training programs for students to earn their Ohio barber’s license. Additionally, prospective students with a cosmetology license can take classes at BEBC and earn a barber license without completing the full 1,800-hour program, said Ed Bankston, an instructor.

“We teach the whole spectrum of the 1,800 hours, from chapter one to 22. That entails female hair services, shampoo services, scalp manipulations, facials, shaves and haircutting,” said Bankston.

The barber college prides itself on teaching students life skills such as the basics of owning a business.

“As a barber, once you [complete the program], it’s your community that is going to support you,” Williams said.

During his address at the opening ceremony, co-owner Eric Garrett thanked the community, City Councilman Julius Oliver and Mayor Tito Brown for their support.

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

Members of City Council and representatives of the administration of Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown met Wednesday afternoon as part of the ongoing process to determine how the city will spend its American Rescue Plan allocation.

The city was awarded $82.7 million in ARP funds and so far has spent or allocated about $27.5 million, according to the city’s website. That includes an allocation of $2 million for each of the city’s seven wards and $3.9 million for city revenue replacement.

Three ideas were discussed during the meeting that Fifth Ward Councilwoman Lauren McNally, who led it, characterized as a “working session.”

Among the items discussed was legislation council had requested from the law department to utilize ARP funds for parks, playgrounds and sporting venues.

Law Director Jeff Limbian said there were problems with some of the legislation because some of the documents lacked information the law department needed to vet the requests.

“You’re ultimately going to be making those decisions in terms of the appropriations but we wanted to make sure that there was a cooperative appreciation that the administration is going to have to actually administer those pieces of legislation,” Limbian said. “We wanted to have clear direction from you about what those pieces are doing so that they meet your intent.”

The law director also presented council members with a handout illustrating what other cities have done to draft requests that can serve as a “general guideline.” He stressed the need to remain consistent because both state and federal government will be auditing ARP spending to make sure funds aren’t misspent or misappropriated.

Among the items administration officials and council members also discussed was plans to utilize ARP funds for house repairs in the neighborhoods. Some council members have discussed wanting to do “some type of group program” utilizing a potion of their ward’s $2 million allocation, McNally said.
“So we thought perhaps we should discuss it as a group so that we had a holistic plan instead of us trying to do our own thing,” she said.

The city administration is “looking at housing initiatives as a whole,” Nikki Posterli, chief of staff to mayor Jamael Tito Brown and director of community planning and economic development, said.

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

Glenwood Avenue is getting a new addition.

 A sign reading “coming soon” announced that a Quickmed Urgent Care is opening next to the Glenwood Fresh Market. The company, which started in Liberty, said the traffic from Canfield Road made it a great location.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Alyda was looking for a home on Youngstown's south side and was ecstatic when she came across one of YNDC’s listings.

Alyda instantly fell in love with the home when she saw the arched purple door. She also loved the ample space, that it was fully move-in ready, and that she could now be closer to family. Every aspect of this home was exactly what she was looking for. Alyda is a first time home buyer, and this experience has changed her life a lot. Through housing counseling, Alyda was set up for success, and she highly recommends YNDC's HUD-Approved Housing Counseling program for anyone in the home buying process, especially for those who are first-time home buyers. “This experience has impacted my life because now, since it is my own, I want to stay organized and on top of everything -- cleanliness and making sure everything is perfect. I love it. YNDC has helped me a lot, and I am so grateful for the experience and the help. I’m happy with my new home,” Alyda said.

Congratulations, Alyda! Thank you for your investment in Youngstown’s neighborhoods and best wishes in your new home!

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

YNDC has completed the renovation of 900 Old Furnace Road.

The home was constructed by Robert and Isabelle Hamilton sometime between 1860 and 1874. The home and property were purchased by Mill Creek MetroParks in the 1890s and used as a YMCA club house and later as the MetroParks superintendent's residence for many years. Prior to YNDC's acquisition the home had been vacant for approximately twenty years.

This project was made possible through a partnership with Mill Creek MetroParks and the City of Youngstown. The home renovation included: new roof, windows, doors, siding, bathrooms, flooring, kitchen counters, furnace, and many other updates. YNDC also reopened a large section of the original front porch that had been enclosed many years ago. The property will be sold to a homeowner. 

For more information on 900 Old Furnace, click here.

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

718 Cubic Yards of Debris Removed

114 New Clients Enrolled in Housing Counseling

46 Emergency Repairs

30 Vacant Houses Boarded

REVITALIZE

Tiffany Sokol confessed Wednesday that her favorite part of the newly renovated house at 900 Old Furnace Road is the restored porch.

 During this visit at least.

“I tell everyone a different part is my favorite every time we’re here,” said the housing director for Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. “There are lots of things I like about it, definitely.”

The city of Youngstown purchased the historic property for $1 from Mill Creek MetroParks in July 2021 and subsequently transferred it to YNDC to renovate and sell. YNDC recently completed three months of renovations to the house and placed it on the market Tuesday for $250,000.

Roughly a century and a half old, the house is definitely the oldest property that YNDC has renovated and one of the most historically significant, Sokol said.

Built sometime between 1860 and 1874 by Robert and Isabelle Hamilton, the property was purchased by Mill Creek MetroParks in the 1890s and used as a YMCA clubhouse before being used as the park superintendent’s residence through the 1990s. It was unoccupied for about 20 years before YNDC acquired it, with the park using it for storage for a time.

The restored house has about 2,200 square feet of living space, excluding the basement, she said.

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

To see the full story from WFMJ, click here.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation has renovated one of the city’s oldest houses and it’s now up for sale.

The former Mill Creek Park Superintendent’s house got a renovation of over $100,000.

The original house on Old Furnace Road was built between 1860 and 1874 with Mill Creek Park just across the street.

To see the full story from WKBN, click here.

For Anthony Appugliese, having stepped inside of a 19th century historic home likely felt as much like a reunion as a one-time showing. 

“The last time I was in this house, I was 9 and selling candy bars for school,” Appugliese, 59, of Poland, fondly recalled.

Sweetening things a bit for him was an open house Wednesday at the residence next to Mill Creek Park at 900 Old Furnace Road, which underwent several months of extensive renovations and upgrades.

Hosting the 90-minute gathering was the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., which partnered with the park and the city of Youngstown.

A steady flow of foot traffic visited the two-story Victorian home that was placed on the market Tuesday. The asking price is $250,000.

Accompanying Appugliese was his mother, Renate, who, with her husband, Andrew, have lived across the street from the historic home since 1971. Anthony Appugliese recalled that the house had been renovated in the 1980s, and that a large room and double-car garage were added. Before that, the garage was down the hill in the park, he remembered.

“They put a lot of money into it, possibly $60,000,” Appugliese said.

Tiffany Sokol, YNDC’s housing director, noted that Robert and Isabelle Hamilton built the home between 1860 and 1874 before the park bought it around 1890. It had been used as a YMCA clubhouse as well as the Mill Creek Park superintendent’s residence for many years. After that, the home sat vacant for nearly 20 years, she explained.

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