Neighborhoods

Monday, March 30, 2015

On Saturday, March 28th, volunteers braved the cold conditions to fight blight on Bennington Avenue on the east side.

Eight houses were boarded, 188 tires were removed, and over 40 cubic yards of trash and debris were discarded. Participating volunteer groups included: YSUScape, YNDC, AmeriCorps VISTA and REVITALIZE, neighborhood residents, community volunteers, and first ward Councilwoman Annie Gillam. Pizza Joe's on McCartney Road and Councilwoman Annie Gillam were sponsors for the event. FIGHT BLIGHT.

Monday, March 30, 2015

In 2015, YNDC began a partnership with locally owned and operated Vinylume Products to install its locally manufactured vinyl replacement windows in the organization's strategic acquisition and rehabilitation projects.

So far this year, the company has installed windows in four properties including 202 Rutledge, 778 Sherwood, 3660 Dover, and 230 Idlewood. Thanks to Vinylume for supporting neighborhood REVITALIZATION in Youngstown!

The merchants who make up the South Avenue Business Association realize they must supplement police department efforts to reduce crime by improving the environment on the artery that runs by their shops.

Improving the appearance of their storefronts, not allowing trash to collect in vacant lots near their businesses and working with the city are essential if they to achieve these goals.

The association held its first formal meeting Monday morning attended by two dozen members, Police Chief Robin Lees, Jennifer Jones, coordinator of Green Youngstown, and T. Sharon Woodberry, director of community planning/economic development.

“Security is always going to be the hot topic. The key is going to be moving people beyond the focus on security,” said B.J. Duckworth, an account manager for Coca-Cola Refreshments, 531 E. Indianola Ave. Duckworth is coordinator for the business association.

The goal of the organization is to get business owners to collaborate on making the corridor and surrounding neighborhoods more attractive as well as safer. Blight and neglect attract crime, Duckworth said, so and maintaining properties and keeping the corridor clean helps to discourage criminal activity.

“Safety and security is obviously an issue” along South Avenue but the city isn’t “going to arrest our way out of this problem,” Lees cautioned.

In addition to the Nov. 19 murder of Abdullah Mahdi in the store he owned, Reema’s Fashion, two others – both drug-related — took place last year in parking lots along the corridor.

“What we know through our crime analysis is that either side of the South Avenue corridor are hotspots for criminal activity,” the police chief said. “What happens is they come out of those neighborhoods and they’re using the parking lots along South Avenue to transact those deals.”

The police department deploys additional squad cars to the corridor whenever possible and the Violence Interdictions Patrols – or VIP – program will return this year, Lees said. The vice squad has also been instructed to focus on the parking lots along South Avenue to ”hopefully discourage or interrupt” any criminal transactions.

The department is preparing to launch a new community policing initiative, Lees told the merchants. In response to concerns raised by former city councilman Clarence Boles, a resident of the South Side, related to the last time such a program was attempted, if this time it doesn’t work out, “we’ll move on to something else, because we’re here to solve problems, not to stagnate.”

The policing initiative “might be one of the most important

things” to happen on the corridor, said Angel Cruz, owner of Little Milly’s Oven Fresh Pizza. Cruz’s shop is next to the store where Mahdi was killed.

On March 24, 2008, a neighboring business operator, Joseph Kaluza, manager of the KFC restaurant that formerly operated on South Avenue, was shot in the head, leaving him paralyzed for life, Cruz reminded his listeners.

Businesses on the corridor “no longer just risk success financially” but owners and employees “risk our lives going in and out of our businesses,” Cruz remarked. “For the community, these thugs, they need to know that you guys are there,” he said.

Safety underlies all the other issues merchants and residents face along the corridor, Duckworth said.

“Not that we want to ignore security but we need people to understand that safety won’t fix itself,” he said. “We need to help the police but all these other things we want to do tie together.” Improving the storefronts and the appearance of the neighborhoods, which includes picking up trash, have a “negative effect on crime,” Duckworth said.

“The worse your business looks, the more of that [negative] element you’re going to draw,” he continued. “The better your business looks, the more those elements aren’t going to come to you.”

Jones and Woodberry, both emphasized Mayor John McNally focus on all of the city’s corridors, especially South Avenue.

“We’re looking at an investment of time, money and workers, everything that we have available to us to be able to really cause some momentum on the South Avenue corridor,” Jones said. The city would like to rehabilitate vacant lots along South Avenue just as has been done on Market Street done in partnership with Community Corrections Associations Inc.

“We would like to do a few smaller lots as well as do a showpiece lot somewhere on the street,” Jones said. A few lots have been identified and “we’ll have to work with the owners to see if they’ll turn them over to us,” she added.

In addition, the neighborhood bordered by South, Auburndale and Judson avenues and the railroad tracks will be targeted during this year’s United Way Day of Caring in September, she said. That area contains 71 vacant lots.

Jones reported that the code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent, Abigail Brubaker, conducted a sweep of South Avenue to identify property code violations. “Every single property that has a violation is in process,” Jones said.

“South Avenue is a priority,” Woodberry affirmed.

The city’s economic development director outlined the incentive programs the city offers. Among them are tax abatements for making property improvements, the Youngstown Initiative and façade programs. The last two have been allocated budgets of $200,000 this year.

Cruz, whose pizza shop has been on South Avenue since 2001, said afterward he is encouraged by what he saw and heard: “I’m confident in what’s going on right now and I’m feeling really good about it.”

“It’s always a good idea to get everyone together and organize and make sure you’re on the same page for improving the area. If it looks better, it is better,” said Bob Deagan, owner and president of Valley Awning and Tent.

Since moving to South Avenue 2½ years ago, the business has added new signage to the building, which also is going to be repainted. “It’s one thing at a time,” he remarked.

“Nobody’s going to come into this room and go out to their business and be able to completely remodel it overnight,” Duckworth said.

“There’s small things you can do – increasing lighting, cleaning the litter, painting your building – one step at a time that each business owner can do,” he continued. “When one does it the next one’s going to do it [and] the next one’s going to do it, and the community is going to notice that and hopefully patronize more.”

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

Angel Cruz, owner of Little Millys Oven Fresh Pizza, wants to be proactive about the neighborhood his business is in and the city he calls home.

So he is a part of the South Avenue Business Association.

“With one, you can be strong,” he said. “When you unite, you can become a power. I am hoping to improve the quality of life [here].”

Cruz was one of the business owners and representatives who came together Monday morning to discuss plans for the South Avenue corridor that is home to both residents and businesses.

The meeting at the Metro Assembly Church on South Avenue is the second for the association, which formed through the South Avenue Area Neighborhood Development Initiative or S.A.A.N.D.I.

Police Chief Robin Lees discussed community policing, the “grass-roots” effort that allows for police to become a part of the community. Not only would it provide a police presence, but it also is a way for the police to connect to the community.

In the South Avenue corridor, there were three homicides last year; two were drug-related and the other occurred during a robbery at a retail store.

“What we need you to do is to see what doesn’t belong and what looks suspicious and alert our officers,” Lees said.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., in partnership with the city, is working on an application for the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program to fund a strategic plan that would give police and other community partners a strategy for high-crime areas.

In this case, the focus is on the significant size of the South Side. “It provides a new lens to look at some of these challenges,” said Ian Beniston, YNDC executive director. “With or without the grant, hopefully, we can have a broad table of folks looking at this.”

The YNDC also recently applied for a state grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation to put in sidewalks, crosswalks, signs, signals and other upgrades around Taft Elementary School.

The coordinator of Green Youngstown discussed plans to beautify and clean up parts of the city.

Councilman John R. Swierz, D-7th, a S.A.A.N.D.I. board member, said the initiative also has a possibility of securing a building.

Swierz said there are about 75 active businesses on South Avenue. Of those, about 10 have shown an interest in the South Avenue Business Association, said B.J. Duckworth of Coca-Cola Refreshments.

The next association meeting June 29 will include more business-related topics.

To read the full story at Vindy.com, click here.

City council will consider legislation Wednesday for a contract to have the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. continue to serve as the city’s planner, and to possibly vote on laws regarding property maintenance, demolition and unsafe buildings.

YNDC was selected in July 2013 to provide planning services for the city in conjunction with the Youngstown State University Center for Urban and Regional Studies.

The city paid about $100,000 to YNDC last year for planning work, said Ian Beniston, the agency’s executive director.

The amount for this year’s work is up to $60,000 as not as much work needs to be done, said T. Sharon Woodberry, the city’s director of community planning and economic development.

Much of the work last year was focused on a citywide development plan, including $25,000 to the YSU center for mapping and data.

YNDC’s contract with the city expired last Dec. 31.

The city administration didn’t seek a contract renewal until now because it wanted to make sure there was enough money in the budget to retain the organization, Woodberry said. Council approved the city’s $179.7 million budget March 18.

The new deal will expire at the end of this year.

To read they full story at Vindy.com, click here.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Apprentice Farmer positions are now open at Iron Roots Urban Farm!

Apprentice farmers will participate in all aspects of the day to day operations of Iron Roots Urban Farm, including bed preparation, planting, watering, harvesting, sales, and other farm tasks. Hiring priority will be given to those who wish to start farms in the city of Youngstown, and apprentices will be given one-on-one mentorship as they develop their plans. Positions are seasonal and will involve work in all weather conditions. Five positions are available with start dates throughout the spring planting season.

To apply, please send cover letter and resume or fill out application in person at YNDC. Please see the below position description for more information.

Another city council meeting, another postponed vote on a contract with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.

Because of questions from Councilwomen Janet Tarpley, D-6th, and Annie Gillam, D-1st, about a YNDC contract renewal for up to $60,000 this year to provide planning services to the city, the item was pulled from Wednesday’s council agenda in the finance committee meeting.

“We want to know where they’re at, what they’ve done and what they’re going to do in the next year or so,” Tarpley said to a Vindicator reporter after the finance committee of which she is chairwoman. “The request is nothing difficult.”

Tarpley also said a finance committee meeting will be scheduled for early next week to bring all the parties together to discuss the contract.

During the finance meeting, Councilman Paul Drennen, D-5th, a committee member, asked why those with questions didn’t get them answered beforehand.

He was more vocal after the finance committee meeting.

“I’d rather come to a meeting prepared,” Drennen said. “We have two council members holding legislation hostage,” referring to Gillam and Tarpley.

“This makes us look inefficient,” Drennen added.

Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th, told a reporter between finance and the full council meeting, “This is ridiculous. It slows down the process. The contract is in place. What is there to ask? You have an obligation to get your questions answered. Do it before the meeting rather than postpone it and have a special meeting.”

Responding to a reporter’s questions after the council meeting, Tarpley said, “I don’t know why [Ray and Drennen] make a big deal about it. Each of them have done this themselves. Both of them are taking this personal and making it into a personal vendetta, and that’s not the case. I’m really offended by it.”

Tarpley said as finance committee chairwoman, “It’s my responsibility as chair that members are good with the legislation and that’s what I want to do.”

Also, Tarpley said key people with knowledge of the contract didn’t attend the finance or full council meeting.

Drennen complained that Tarpley took the item off the agenda. But Tarpley correctly pointed out that council rules permit two members of a committee — her and Gillam in this case — to table legislation in that committee.

The YNDC issue came two weeks after council members and the mayor engaged in a somewhat heated debate about a grass-cutting and property-cleanup program to be supervised and managed by YNDC for $102,168 annually. Council met the following week and approved that contract.

To read the full story at Vindy.com, click here.

Entrepreneurs who live in the Mahoning Valley area and want to start a business in the technology or additive manufacturing (3D printing) arenas might seek help from the Youngstown Business Incubator.

But for people looking to jumpstart a restaurant or other food company there is a different alternative, the Common Wealth Kitchen Incubator.

Located at 907 Elm St. in Youngstown, the kitchen incubator got up and running in the fall of 2013 with the goal of lowering the cost of starting or expanding a local food business.

“We are a shared-use commercial kitchen with the equipment and tools that entrepreneurs need to make their food business dreams a reality,” said Common Wealth Kitchen Incubator Manager Thomas Phibbs.

“Whether you simply have a food business idea or are a restaurant owner or caterer, entrepreneurs can rent time and space in the incubator which is a fully licensed commercial kitchen, avoiding licensing and the barrier of purchasing the large commercial equipment necessary to expand.”

The incubator features convection ovens as well as cold, frozen and dry storage. Phibbs said in the future, the plan is to add a canning line and large commercial refrigeration and freezer units.

He said rental rates vary based on the equipment being used and discounts are available for those who qualify as low income. “We offer free microenterprise business coaching services that can help a new owner put together a business and/or marketing plan or address other common startup concerns,” said Phibbs.

“We even have a micro loan program, with loans of up to $2,500 available.

“We aim to help folks generate jobs working with food and help northeast Ohio build food security and promote economic development.”

The kitchen incubator was created by the nonprofit organization Common Wealth, Inc., which was founded over 25 years ago by Pat Rosenthal and others who organized a worker buyout of a Youngstown steel mill. The community development organization initially focused on employee-owned businesses and on developing and managing affordable housing. Since 2003, efforts have centered on rebuilding area food systems.

The organization’s food projects include the Northside Farmers Market and satellite locations, the Lake-to-River Food Cooperative, a member-owned cooperative of farmers with an online market, the kitchen incubator and the “30 Mile Meal,” a program adopted from Athens, Ohio that seeks to raise awareness about the availability of local food and create a network between local growers and buyers.

“My goal is to have everyone in the Mahoning Valley area have at least one healthy meal a week with food that is produced within 30 miles of where they live,” said Common Wealth founder Rosenthal.

She said the idea for the kitchen incubator dates back to the ‘90s. “I was working with ACEnet (The Appalachian Center for Economic Networks) and they had developed a kitchen incubator in Athens so I went down and saw what they were doing,” said Rosenthal. “Our sister organization, Common Wealth Revolving Loan Fund helped finance their startup construction and operations.

“I decided I wanted to put together an incubator right then,” said Rosenthal. “The opportunity to take specialty food entrepreneurs to market in a way that creates jobs and increases their income is incredible. The idea took time. We bought the building where the incubator is now housed in 2009 when it went to federal auction.”

In addition to creating jobs, Rosenthal said her organization is working to help solve the “food desert” problem that exists in Youngtown, whereby large portions of the city’s population do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy items because of the lack of grocery stores and farmers markets. “A co-op grocery store and a neighborhood café are slated to open this summer one block from Youngstown State University’s campus,” said Rosenthal.

“Seventy-four percent of Youngstown residents technically live in a food desert, where they are more than one mile away from a full-service grocery store,” said Liberty Merrill, land reuse director at the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC).

Launched in 2009, YNDC partners with the city of Youngstown and The Raymond John Wean Foundation to revitalize neighborhoods in the city.

In 2012, YNDC took the lead in securing a five-year $788,673 federal grant, which it split with Common Wealth.

YNDC put much of its portion toward improving its Iron Roots Urban Farm, a 1.7-acre working farm and training center on the south side of the city, while Common Wealth focused on the launch of the kitchen incubator.

To read the full story from Akron Legal News, click here. 

Thursday, April 2, 2015

YNDC is proud to announce the publishing of its 1st quarterly performance report of 2015!

The performance report highlights the work of YNDC over the 1st quarter. An electronic copy can be downloaded below.

Friday, April 3, 2015

On Wednesday April 1, 2015, a group of twenty neighborhood leaders met with Joe Schilling, a consultant contracted by the City of Youngstown to review and make recommendations to improve the capacity of its code enforcement efforts.

Core topics of discussion included what code enforcement could do, what residents would like it to do, and what residents and neighborhood groups can do to assist in the code enforcement process. Many residents view code enforcement as a tool to address blighted properties and further neighborhood stabilization objectives. Residents expressed concern for housing conditions across the city and provided their vision for a strategic code enforcement system that utilizes all tools available for blight remediation. The goal of this process is to develop a set of policies and procedures aimed at streamlining code enforcement in Youngstown.