SitemapResidents of Youngstown’s Cornersburg neighborhood stopped by the New Covenant Worship Center March 6. They participated in the third session of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.’s citywide neighborhood meetings.
Rick Pollo brings us the story.
A crowd of about 40 Cornersburg residents attended YNDC’s third meeting, assessing the top assets and priorities of their neighborhood. Although issues of nuisance neighbors, vandals and petty crimes were addressed, some residents are happy to call the neighborhood home.
JANET MISEL: I love it. I am from Youngstown, originally, and then I was actually living in the suburbs for a while. I couldn’t wait to come back.
That’s Janet Misel. She moved back three years ago and says she’s excited to see renewed interest in the city.
MISEL: I really was vested in coming back and being part of what I see happening in a positive direction.
Gerry O’Hara, a resident of the lower West side, says his neighborhood has issues typical of any city.
O’HARA: It’s got its ups and downs. It’s got housing problems, it’s got code enforcement problems and it’s got drug problems, but we’re hanging in there.
Some residents voiced concern about the aging population of Cornersburg and what happens to property values if young people don’t move into the area. According to the YNDC, 24 percent of Cornersburg residents are 65 and older. That compares to 17 percent on the North side.
Mayor John McNally also attended. He says as long as neighbors continue to look out for one another, problems can continue to get resolved faster.
McNALLY: When somebody’s not taking care of their house, it gets noticed quickly by the neighbors, and usually neighbors are pretty good about trying to react to that and working with their neighbors to help out.
The News Outlet will cover the next meeting for the Lansdowne neighborhood on March 11.
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