Neighborhoods

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

On Tuesday, October 15th, YNDC finalized its sale of 1040 Bernard Street for $192,500. Congratulations to the new homeowner, and thank you for your investment in Youngstown’s neighborhoods!

The City of Youngstown is in the process of finishing the most aggressive roof replacement program in the city’s history. In the past year, Youngstown has replaced 236 roofs and it didn’t cost homeowners anything. The city used some of its American Rescue Plan money to cover the cost.

Ten months ago, Jeff McCary’s roof on his 113-year-old W. Dewey Avenue home was replaced at no cost to him, courtesy of Youngstown’s roof replacement program. “As far as when it rained and everything, water leaks all over the place, getting into the electricity. It was pretty bad,” he said.  “With $3 million, that went a lot further than I anticipated,” said Mike Durkin, director of code enforcement. The $3 million came from the city’s $83 million allotment of American Rescue Plan money.  The average roof replacement cost was $10,000 to $12,000.“Also, we replace some gutters, and downspouts and fascia boards because there’s no sense replacing a roof if you don’t do some of that,” Durkin said.  The most roof replacements, 55, happened in the Second Ward, which is on the East Side. Then it was the Sixth Ward, 51, on the South Side.In total, 236 roofs were replaced — 30 more than the estimate.  “Yeah, I think it was great. Definitely applaud the mayor, his team, Mike Durkin, city council,” said Ian Beniston, with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

To read the full stroy from WKBN, click here.

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Through the Mahoning Valley TreeCorps program, YNDC planted a total of 337 2" caliper shade trees in Youngstown's neighborhoods during the early fall planting season; its largest seasonal tree planting in organizational history. This fall, trees were planted in a total of 14 neighborhoods, including: Lincoln Knolls, Brownlee Woods, Buckeye Plat, Wick Park, Kirkmere, Steelton, Upper West Side, Mahoning Commons, Gibson Heights, Cottage Grove, Idora, Oak Hill, Fosterville, and Newport. Door-to-door outreach for street tree planting for the spring has already begun! Anyone in the Cities of Youngstown or Warren who is interested in having a tree planted in their tree lawn can request one by visiting our website at https://yndc.org/programs/mahoning-valley-treecorps.

Mahoning Valley TreeCorps also began its fall Volunteer Tree Training series, which provides free and interactive training courses for members of the public to learn about tree planting, care and management. The first two courses, held in September in Youngstown and Warren, focused on how to care for and prune young trees. Two sessions held in October provided training on software that can be used by shade tree commissions, tree care professionals, and community based organizations to inventory and manage trees. 

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

On Thursday, October 10, YNDC team members Jasmine and Angel began the installation of cameras and lights at 250 households as part of the Community Safety program. The program was created based on resident feedback to reduce crime, increase safety, and develop positive relationships with the Youngstown Police Department.

The Community Safety program works with residents, neighborhood groups and the police to operate a Community Safety program to build infrastructure among neighbors to prevent crime by building cooperation and mutual trust between residents, corridor business owners, and the police. The program will 1) Establish partnerships with at least 150 households and businesses in violent crime hotspot areas in Youngstown to install solar security lighting and doorbell cameras, 2) install at least 150 doorbell cameras, 500 solar security lights, and 10 solar street lights, 3) conduct at least 3 quarterly community safety meetings, and 4) have at least 50% of participants report a positive interaction with the police.

The Ohio Department of Development is investing $100 million to help land banks purchase, rehabilitate, or build residential properties for income-eligible Ohioans. Additionally, $25 million in nonrefundable tax credits remain available to land banks and eligible developers for rehab and new construction projects once a property is sold. The state announced the projects Thursday afternoon, including one project in Mahoning County and two in Columbiana County.

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

Monday, October 28, 2024.

On Thursday, October 24, the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) awarded $5,000,000 in Welcome Home Ohio (WHO) program funding to Mahoning County Land Bank (MCLB) in partnership with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) to create new affordable housing opportunities.

The ODOD grant will be used to construct 19 new homes for affordable homeownership. The new homes will be constructed in multiple neighborhoods throughout Youngstown and Mahoning County.

More information will be provided in the months to come. Huge thanks to the Mahoning County Land Bank for the ongoing partnership and to the Welcome Home Ohio program! REVITALIZE!
 

On Thursday, October 24, YNDC joined Produce Perks, the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, the Health Community Partnership, Mercy Community Health, local farmers, and the Mercy Health Foundation to discuss nutrition incentive and produce prescription programs and their impact on Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. The discussion included an overview of the Produce Perks program, the Glenwood Fresh Market, impact of the programs on participants, support of local farmers, partnership with Mercy Community Health, and the investment in the programs by the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and Mercy Health Foundation. Thank you to all the participants!

Mahoning and Columbiana Counties will be receiving some state funding from the “Welcome Home Ohio” program which helps land banks purchase, rehabilitate or build homes for Ohioans. The Columbiana County Land Bank will get $1.65 million to purchase six homes at Orchard Hill Estates in Leetonia along with $615,000 to purchase and rehabilitate six homes in East Palestine. Meanwhile, in Mahoning County, the City of Struthers Land Reutilization Corporation will receive $2.75 million to purchase 10 newly built homes and the Mahoning County Land Bank will get $5 million to purchase 19 new homes.

To read the full story frow WKBN, click here.

More affordable housing is coming to the Mahoning Valley. The Columbiana and Mahoning County Land Banks received millions in grants to build more homes and sell them at a low cost. “We have so many people who need safe affordable housing and there's plenty of room,” Debora Flora, Executive Director of the Mahoning County Land Bank said. Mahoning County will get 19 new homes in and around Youngstown. They will all be at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms and will be priced under $180,000. 

To read the full  story from WFMJ, click here.

The songs on Anthony LaMarca’s new album, “Aspiration,” are both a remembrance of his late father and an exploration of the relationship they shared. The Boardman rocker wrote the 10 songs in the aftermath of his father’s death in 2022. “My father died somewhat suddenly,” LaMarca said. “[The songs are] about me processing that grief and trying to deal with how I was feeling about his life.”

LaMarca, who is also a guitarist for the Grammy Award-winning rock band The War on Drugs, releases his solo albums under the moniker The Building. He said his father has silently been an influence on every record he has made. “In some way, they’re all records about my relationship with him,” he said. While his father was never a serious musician, he was “a great music appreciator,” LaMarca said.

The cover of Anthony LaMarca’s new album, “Aspiration,” shows a photo of the artist’s late father at his first Holy Communion. “He gave me a stack of records of his favorite bands when I was a kid,” LaMarca recalled. “He loved everything from Grand Funk Railroad to jazz. He had a wide musical taste, which influenced me. He was always a main influence on me.”

LaMarca’s songwriting skills are on display on the release. While his melodies are understated and gently paced, one can hear the grandiosity in them. The subject matter actually goes beyond the father-son relationship. It expands into LaMarca’s memories and grows outward from there.

One song, “Father Madden,” is about a Roman Catholic monk who lived in Youngstown’s Idora neighborhood when LaMarca was in high school. Madden, a devout man of God, was dismissed by the Carmelite Order for disobedience but continued his ministry, holding services in his backyard and earning a national reputation in the process. He was known for delivering powerful sermons, which LaMarca often heard. “I would go to services at his house on Sundays,” he said. “He was a local legend, a uniquely Youngstown thing. He was not part of the church anymore but had his own Catholic church services out of his house.”

Madden died in 2012, and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation gained control of his house. But through the help of a friend who was involved in the transaction, LaMarca gained possession of the tabernacle at Madden’s house.

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