YOUNGSTOWN Sweet plans a campaign to get city to take pride in its appearance

The leader hopes the cooperation seen in Smoky Hollow serves as a model.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University President David C. Sweet wants to address what has been called Youngstown's "broken window syndrome."
"We can look at next year as the year Youngstown began to take seriously the rejecting of our penchant to accept broken windows," he said.
Sweet said he wants to organize a campaign to clean up the city that involves YSU, businesses, schools, the city, other organizations and media outlets.
"There's a symbolic effect and I feel very strongly we can take it to the next level," the president said. "We should begin to address it in a shared responsibility sense, by neighborhood."
Goals would be to trim trees, cut lawns and update downtown parking lots.
Sweet pointed to Cleveland, where he previously worked as a dean at Cleveland State University. There, he said, the mayor insisted on a standard for downtown lots that includes rail fencing; the university embraced the plan and improved its lots. The result is a neater community.
Leaving an impression
"If you drive by each day a parking lot that has improved, you begin to think something is happening here, something can happen here," he said.
Across the city, some improvements have been made, such as at the St. Elizabeth Health Center, where officials have "taken the lead" by dressing up parking lots, Sweet said.
He said he is also approaching property owners on Wick Avenue in the Ursuline High School area in an effort to get vacant lots cleaned up.
"This community is coming to grips that some things can change and, lo and behold, they are changing," he said.
Smoky Hollow
YSU has used rail fencing in various university areas, including the Lyden House and Cafaro House residence halls, he added. It is also used at the off-campus University Courtyard student apartments in Smoky Hollow.
"What I hope is that Smoky Hollow becomes a model of institutional cooperation" that can happen between churches, hospitals, businesses, government and civic groups, he said.
YSU has partnered with Wick Neighbors and groups to help revitalize that area of the city. Besides the University Courtyard, YSU recently unveiled an addition to Bliss Hall that includes new artistic steel gates on Walnut Street.
Short-term plans call for a park and a walkway dotted with sculptures to lead from Walnut Street to campus. Long-term plans include a full redevelopment into a 63-acre residential, art and cultural community leading to Andrews Avenue.
viviano@vindy.com