FUTURE OF CITY Planner is happy with ideas so far
Planners have had a few happy surprises in the neighborhood meetings.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City residents know what their neighborhoods need, which bodes well for them and Thomas Finnerty.
Finnerty has a prime role in writing the Youngstown 2010 plan for the city. He is associate director of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies at Youngstown State University.
The clear understanding people have of their neighborhoods is most striking to Finnerty since a series of 2010 neighborhoods meetings started in April.
Realistic ideas
City residents don't get enough credit for knowing their neighborhoods' problems and what's needed to fix them, Finnerty said. He has been impressed that citizens are expressing realistic goals and ideas for improvements.
That will make it easier to write a plan accurately reflecting what residents want, he said.
"People know what's going on," Finnerty said. "They're not looking for pie in the sky. They're looking for the little things."
Tuesday's 2010 neighborhood meeting on the West Side marks the midway point of 11 such sessions scheduled through August.
The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Volney Rogers Jr. High School, 2400 S. Schenley Ave. It is particularly for those who live in the Kirkmere area, which is west of Bears Den Road.
After all the meetings, planners including Finnerty will write plans for each of the neighborhoods. Those plans together will become the 2010 plan. A draft of the full plan is to be unveiled in mid-December.
Planners say there have been a few happy surprises in the neighborhood meetings so far.
Turnout has met or exceeded expectations.
Organizers hoped on average that about 50 people would attend each meeting. The first one downtown drew more than 100 people, as did one on the North Side.
A meeting on the South Side earlier this month drew 60 people but, in context, was considered a small disappointment.
Also, the meetings are drawing many people who aren't among a core of activists who typically attend such events. Many average citizens are coming and expressing themselves, said Bill D'Avignon, city deputy director of planning.
"Somehow we're reaching, getting a lot of diverse, new people involved," he said.
Planners credit the goodwill 2010 has generated the past two years, a recent marketing campaign and ongoing coverage in The Vindicator.
People from all social and economic backgrounds are attending and expressing similar priorities, which is good to see, said Jay Williams, director of the city Community Development Agency. He has moderated the meetings.
Williams also notes that residents seemingly understand they have a role in improving neighborhoods, which he calls the "two-way street of responsibility."
Enforcing property codes and erasing blight have been the top request from residents. Planners expected the topic to be a high priority, but are glad to see their notions confirmed.
"That's been the consistent theme so far. It's nice to see a common theme," said Anthony Kobak, the city's chief planner.
rgsmith@vindy.com