SitemapSouth side residents filled one of the meeting rooms at Newport Library March 4. The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. hosted its second in a series of neighborhood meetings.
Rick Pollo brings us the story.
Various city officials, Rep. Bob Hagan and about 40 South side residents attended the YNDC meeting for the Newport area. Janet Tarpley, 6th Ward councilwoman, expresses what many in attendance were feeling.
TARPLEY: We said we want a neighborhood plan that actually is going to affect every neighborhood, and we want you guys to be a part of it.
Tarpley says past plans failed to meet the needs of specific neighborhoods.
TARPLEY: If you look at the 2010 plan, there was a lot of things left, just open. In some cases, left – as far as I was concerned – left out altogether. And I felt like the 6th Ward was completely left out of it.
By the time the meeting broke into its Q and A session, residents expressed concerns about code violations not being followed through and just exactly how YNDC plans to bring positive changes when others have failed.
Clarence Boles, former councilman and South side resident, says he’s skeptical the YNDC can come up with a plan for the neighborhood.
BOLES: These young people from YNDC have very good intentions; I don’t want to downplay that. But they have no community-service track records.
Ian Beniston, YNDC’s deputy director, says both he and his colleagues have an exceptional amount of experience in community-service work, especially within the city.
BENISTON: If you look at our track record, particularly the one plan I was most intricately involved with here in the Idora Neighborhood, we’ve made significant progress, as much progress as you’ve seen anywhere in any neighborhood outside of downtown.
YNDC’s next meeting will be March 6 at the New Covenant Worship Center.
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