City's block grant money isn't for building streets

City's block grant money isn't for building streets
EDITOR:
As a downtown businessman and business owner, I am opposed to the announced plan of Youngstown State University and the city of Youngstown to locate a new through street on the lower North Side, from Lincoln Avenue to Front Street. The proposed street addition will actually be an extension of Hazel Street downtown.
The street addition is actually part of a larger university undertaking, the construction of a new building for YSU's Williamson Business College, which it intends to locate on the new thoroughfare. Although I support the idea of a new and larger Williamson College building, I question the merits of the component street addition as a city of Youngstown financed part of the expansion project.
My reasons for objection are numerous. Foremost, there are enough abandoned and underdeveloped streets in the university corridor and central city Youngstown, many of which would be suitable for such a building project, that the city does not need to lay out an additional street and then commit permanently city cost to maintain and patrol. To establish this new street the city will impact the integrity of the lower North Side, which includes functional and historical structures, including businesses and warehouses, a church and religious offices, and an apartment building.
Further, businessmen and professionals in the target area were not advised or consulted during the process of constructing this plan, and neither were downtown business owners advised. Some business owners effected by the plan have expressed disapproval. The plan was announced a mere 12 weeks ago, and it has received several public announcements, not discussions, and the plan is already being rushed to the Board of Control. A major plan and construction project deserves public hearings, especially since community development block grants will be required.
Lastly, I object to the plan because I feel, personally, that community development block grants ought to be used to develop community, not to build streets, which are often correctly perceived in the conventional wisdom as breaking up community rather than promoting it.
JIM VILLANI
Pig Iron Press, Youngstown
Archives must be protected
EDITOR:
Given the report that the Ohio Historical Society, based in Columbus, is considering closing the Archive/Library at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor (The Steel Museum), it is hoped that the OHS will find an appropriate disposition for the valuable materials in its care.
The collection contains books, microfilm, audiovisual materials, local government documents, and manuscript collections. The books describe a comprehensive history of industrial growth in the Mahoning Valley as well as the de-industrialization that befell our community. Microfilmed materials contain old and unusual local newspapers, some in foreign languages, and death certificates for selected years. Audiovisual collections comprise an oral history treasure: interviews with men and women, many of whom have passed away, who worked in the mills and related industries. Also included are fascinating interviews with other individuals who had a significant influence on the political and social life of the Valley. The manuscript collections, perhaps the most important part of the Archive/Library, consist of one-of-a-kind materials donated by company executives, employees, unions, and private citizens.
It is strongly urged that the Ohio Historical Society consider keeping this Archive/Library collection intact by donating it in toto to a responsible agency that has the facility and staff to care for and make available to the public this extraordinary body of information. If OHS cannot secure such a refuge, then they must act responsibly to find the best homes for all items, even if it means returning them to the original donors.
Although the collection belongs to the Ohio Historical Society headquartered in Columbus, the history that these materials describe is ours. It belongs to the Mahoning Valley. Let us be watchful. As for the museum itself, should the OHS decide to close down the entire facility, it would be a sad day for Youngstown indeed.
TIM SEMAN
Boardman