Youngstown council authorizes about $225K for park, rec dept.

By David Skolnick | May 2, 2013 at 12:06a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

City council agreed to authorize the board of control to move ahead with the purchase of about $225,000 for park and recreation department equipment and for items and work needed at a new South Side park.

The most-expensive item will be to spend up to $100,000 for the new Glenwood Park pavilion, fencing and sidewalks in addition to work to level, seed and add topsoil to the location on Glenwood Avenue.

The park should open this summer.

Also Wednesday, council voted to let the board of control purchase a maintenance truck, a “rough” mower for the city-owned Henry Stambaugh Golf Course, and a specialized lawn mower to cut grass at other city park properties.

Meanwhile, William Triplett, a city resident, criticized city officials when addressing council about the lack of minorities hired by city government.

Mayor Charles Sammarone said city officials have worked to recruit city residents, with a focus on minorities, to seek employment with the government entity.

But few have done well in the past few years on civil-service tests, he and other city officials said.

The city recently hired seven firefighters with only one of them a city resident and two who are Mahoning County residents.

The rest live in counties contiguous to Mahoning, and all of the new hires are white.

Under state law, the city must offer the job to those finishing in the upper 25 percent among those passing the tests. With 77 people passing the tests, the city had 19 candidates for the seven jobs, said Fire Chief John J. O’Neill Jr.

The top Youngstown minority candidate to pass the written civil- service and the physical-ability tests finished in 40th place, he said.

Classes to help potential firefighters score better on tests are offered, but there’s been little improvement among city residents, O’Neill said.