Group discusses 2010 topics

One woman said residents are tired of having to badger city officials.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Most Youngstown 2010 neighborhood meetings so far boiled down to demands for better property code enforcement.
The topic isn't lost on Brownlee Woods, Buckeye Plat, Lansingville and lower Gibson residents either.
Other main 2010 topics -- from recreation and residential to retail and industrial development -- won't matter if quality of life doesn't change, said Wallace Dunne of East Lucius Avenue.
"If there's no improvement, there's no reason for the others," said Dunne, a former president of the 7th Ward Citizens' Coalition.
About 60 South Side residents gathered Tuesday at the Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana office on Shirley Road. Turnout was lighter than the 100 or so for meetings in similar-size areas. City officials weren't sure why.
The meeting was the fifth of 2010's 11 neighborhood planning meetings scheduled this summer.
Residents' suggestions
Several residents said better code enforcement and operating the dormant landlord registration program would improve their streets.
"It would go a long ways to stabilizing this neighborhood," said John Easterday of Champlain Avenue.
Ken Stanislaw of Taft Avenue, president of the Lansingville Block Watch, said landlord registration would better track problem properties. Vandals stripped the siding from at least four rental houses within 400 feet of his home within a few weeks, he said.
Bill Ward, a city police officer who lives on Marmion Avenue, said the area needs to set a lower standard for tolerating blight. Consistent housing-code enforcement would achieve that, he said.
Mary Krupa of Neilson Avenue said residents are tired of having to badger city officials to take care of even small quality-of-life problems.
"They're just not following up," she said. "It's a sin."
Patricia Dougan of Sheridan Road said Midlothian Boulevard needs to be rezoned commercial.
Using Poland as example
Midlothian is a major corridor that should look nice and invite people to live in the area, she said. However, the street has blighted residential houses in spots, she said. Dougan pointed to the atmosphere in Poland, where she said consistent standards in the commercial area make residential living there attractive.
Dorothy Snovak of Wakfield Avenue said the city needs to put large blocks of vacant land into the hands of adjacent owners. Otherwise, land in the Lansingville and Poland Avenue areas will end up with speculators who won't maintain the properties, she said.
Larry McCaffrey of Zedaker Street said the 2010 plan needs to consider replacement of ancient waterlines and better water pressure in the area. He also said keeping a fire station near Interstate 680 should be a priority. Hazardous materials travel over the highway, he said.
The next 2010 meeting is at 7 p.m. June 15 at Volney Rogers Jr. High School, 2400 S. Schenley Avenue, on the West Side. The meeting is particularly for those who live in the Kirkmere area, which is west of Bears Den Road.
rgsmith@vindy.com