Feds should not impede city's demolition effort

If there's one word that aptly describes the Youngstown city government's campaign to tear down the 500 or so homes on its demolition list it's this: Help! And the cry is directed at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which seems to have its bureaucratic blinders firmly in place.
As the front page story in last Sunday's Vindicator revealed, there are 47 streets in Youngstown with three or more condemned homes, and it's common for a street to have six, seven or eight condemned homes. The Vindicator analysis of city government's housing demolition database shows the Elm Street is the worst, with 11 structures that need to be torn down.
So why hasn't the administration of Mayor George M. McKelvey launched a large-scale demolition campaign to rid the community of these safety and health hazards? Because the U.S. EPA won't allow the city to tear down neighboring homes that have been condemned.
As The Vindicator story noted, the EPA says that local governments can't demolish more than one house on each block unless they do two things: Conduct a test for asbestos (at a cost of $200); and, remove any hazard found. The city can manage the cost of testing, but it can't afford the $10,000 to $12,000 price tag for removing the asbestos.
And so, many neighborhoods in Youngstown continue to deteriorate because federal regulations won't let City Hall do what's necessary to improve the community's quality of life.
Financial assistance
We aren't opposed to environmental rules and regulations that are designed to protect the citizenry, but we do have a problem with the U.S. EPA not recognizing the effects of such edicts. Youngstown, which not too long ago was under state mandated fiscal watch, can't afford to foot the bill for asbestos abatement. Thus, we believe the federal government should be willing to provide cities such as Youngstown with financial help. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is well aware of the economic and social problems confronting the city. The high poverty rate, declining tax base, deteriorating neighborhoods and the crime rate are persistent problems that the McKelvey administration must address. There isn't a surplus in the general fund, and federal dollars are essential.
We would urge officials of the U.S. EPA to pay a visit to Youngstown so they would have a clear understanding of the enormity of problem pertaining to condemned houses. We have no doubt that Mike Damiano, the city's housing and demolition director, would welcome any advice and assistance.
That said, we would also encourage the Valley's two congressmen, Tim Ryan, D-Niles, and Ted Strickland, D-Lisbon, to become involved in this important issue. Dilapidated buildings pose a health and safety hazard to residents.
While Ryan and Strickland are at it, they might want to ask the EPA explain the following: Why is it possible for the city to knock down homes and buildings with up to four apartments without asbestos testing, but not possible to tear down neighboring single-family homes?