Newspaper's series and Web site educate residents, director says

The series brought a visit from federal regulators.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Some people still don't understand that the city doesn't own the houses it tears down, said Mike Damiano.
But many more know that now because of The Vindicator's Razing Residences series, said the city's housing and demolition director.
Damiano estimates his department on average received two dozen phone calls a month because of the newspaper's nine-month series.
The Vindicator posted and updated the city's demolition list on its Web site, www.vindy.com. The newspaper also periodically published stories during the year about issues surrounding housing demolition, from process to politics.
The newspaper received 75 e-mails and dozens of phone calls during the series. Most were suggestions of addresses that residents thought the city should level. The newspaper added many of the suggestions to the demolition Web pages.
Many callers to the demolition department saw the Web site or stories and called to report, or find out more about, dilapidated houses on their street, Damiano said.
"They did get educated, which is a good thing," he said.
City doesn't own properties
His staff explained to many people that the city doesn't own the properties. The city condemns dilapidated private properties that become health or safety hazards. The city razes the properties and adds the cost to the property tax bill.
The series also drew interest from the state and federal environmental protection agencies.
A story in July described how federal asbestos regulations make it financially impossible for the city to do multiple demolitions on one street. The city, however, has many streets with multiple condemned properties.
Leveling a single house isn't a health concern but nearby multiple demolitions are, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.
Average asbestos removal costs are about $10,000 a house, more than the city can afford. So the city razes one house on a street and skips the others to avoid running afoul of state and federal regulations.
State and federal EPA representatives visited the city after becoming aware of the story, Damiano said.
The director figured the regulators were coming to investigate the city and levy fines.
The regulators peppered him with questions about city demolition procedures and why they exist. Damiano said he answered their questions.
Firsthand look
Then he toured city neighborhoods with them.
It appeared the EPA officials didn't understand the magnitude of the city's problem in relation to the regulations, he said.
"There's nothing like putting them in a car and taking them on a tour," he said.
Afterward, the regulators didn't leave behind fines or other sanctions. Instead, Damiano said they offered to help the city find some money to deal with its overwhelming blight problem.
Damiano isn't holding out much hope that the visit will result in more funding.
But the regulators got an education, he said.