Panel goes site-seeing

By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- At first blush, picking preferred sites for a downtown civic center seemed easy for the assembled group.
Eight arena board members who toured the city Thursday clearly found the west end spots outlined in a recent site selection report to be the best. Two stood out, they said; where the Western Reserve Transit Authority sits or the old Higbee buildings sat.
There was an underlying feeling that hung over the tour, however. Aren't there any better sites?
The idea may be worth exploring, said board member William Binning. Others agreed.
"Maybe there are other possible sites," Binning said.
Why these? The Rev. Edward P. Noga and others want a clear explanation about how the six sites became the focus, anyway.
The board's impression is that city officials directed their consultant, Tom Chema of the Gateway Group, toward most or all of the choices.
They'll get their chance to ask next week when Chema is scheduled to take the board's questions. He has finished his consulting contract for the city, but the board has expressed interest in hiring him to guide them.
Council will decide: For all the arena board's talk about sites, one fact remains. City council will pick where the projected $40 million center will go. Council has said it will take the arena board's input before deciding.
The two sides, however, have yet to even talk about the role each will play in the project. That could become more clear next week.
Council members were invited to take Thursday's tour, but none came.
There was little enthusiasm among board members for most of the six sites.
Some called several no more than "straw sites" taking up space in the report. Those included Grant Street across from Youngstown State University's Stambaugh Stadium, Phelps Street between St. Columba Cathedral and the city board of education office, and city hall.
Each had parking, site acquisition or development problems.
The space between the Market and South Avenue bridges is a nice, open space near the Mahoning River. It's too far from downtown's west end and YSU and has expensive environmental problems, however, members said.
"It wouldn't help the downtown that much," said Gil Peterson.
Other problems: That leaves WRTA and the Higbee sites.
Each would spin off development on the west end and is close to YSU, they said. WRTA would bring in the river and create a district with the Mahoning Commons arena.
Each also has serious problems.
WRTA would mean buying out a few businesses and relocating the bus terminal, which would cost many millions of dollars.
Higbee is the smallest of all six sites. Parking, relocating Cedar's Lounge and buying the old Paramount Theater all are obstacles.
Any site picked from the existing list will mean forgoing at least one seemingly essential element, said the Rev. Kelvin Turner.