SitemapCity council agreed to spend $1.98 million in American Rescue Plan dollars and redirect another $2.1 million from the federal program for different projects, including up to $1.8 million to purchase a new fire truck. Council approved several ARP ordinances Wednesday, less than two weeks before the federal deadline of Dec. 31 to have all of the funding allocated or lose what it did not allocate. Youngstown received $82,775,370 in ARP funds and with the legislation passed, it will have allocated all of the dollars, said Mayor Jamael Tito Brown.
ARP funds have to be obligated by the end of this month and expended by the end of 2026 under federal law.The most expensive legislation had council remove $1.8 million from a fund for land acquisition for community and economic development projects. Up to $1.8 million will go toward the purchase of a new 100-foot ladder truck for the fire department’s downtown station.
Finance Director Kyle Miasek said he didn’t know how much ARP money would go toward the truck, but it could be the full $1.8 million amount. It largely depends on how much ARP money is unspent by the city, he said.The fire truck, which will be in service next year, costs $2.19 million.
The city also agreed Wednesday to pay $200,000 in ARP funds to the Intentional Development Group to provide start-up costs, planning and expansion for the Cornerstone Food Co-op at 2649 Glenwood Ave., the long-closed Bottom Dollar grocery store. The project aims to address food insecurities while encouraging economic growth, job creation and improving the community through an agricultural incubator program, a community kitchen and a marketplace co-op, according to a city document. The $200,000 is being redirected from a $1.5 million ARP allocation, approved Oct. 2 by city council, to redevelop the former 18,285-square-foot grocery store building.
The board of control today is expected to approve a $1,028,900 contract with Brock Builders of North Lima for that work — which is under the $1.5 million allocation.
The Village of Healing, an infant mortality clinic, will be the building’s main tenant, using 6,063 square feet with the food co-op using 4,194 square feet. A third group tenant, not yet determined, would use 5,141 square feet and there is 2,887 for a common area under the city’s proposal. Also, council agreed Wednesday to use $100,000 of the money left from the $1.5 million initially set aside for the Bottom Dollar project to give to Ohio Urban Renaissance Center at 421 North Ave. to upgrade its facilities. Ohio Urban Renaissance’s ARP allocation was increased Nov. 18 by city council from $150,000 to $389,000 to help at-risk youths from funding from the $2 million given to Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward. The city is adding another $100,000 in ARP funding to the organization with the increase to be finalized today by the board of control. In about a month, the project’s funding from ARP dollars is going from $150,000 to $489,000.
Other ARP allocations approved Wednesday were $50,000 more for a residential roof replacement project and $200,000 for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to serve as fiscal agent for the Youngstown Restorative and Opportunity Center (YoROC). The latter is being developed to help younger city residents who are unemployed or underemployed with focuses on training in health care and the culinary arts.
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