Williams is confident city can get a grant

The mayor wants a crime prevention program similar to the 2003 one.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mayor Jay Williams said he is encouraged that the city can receive federal help to fight crime here after discussing the topic with the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Williams met Friday with U.S. Attorney Greg White. Williams wants a program similar to the Gun Reduction Interdiction Project, a 2003 local-federal program in Youngstown.
The program resulted in the arrest of nearly 400 people between late June and early September of that year.
There was one murder in the city during that time frame in 2003. There have been five murders in the city this year between late June and Friday.
The program that paid for an increased presence of local and federal law enforcement in Youngstown has changed since 2003, Williams said.
Williams said White told him he'd speak to federal agencies to determine what could be done as well as the logistics and cost of such an effort. White didn't give the mayor a time frame for developing a plan.
"We have to do something sustainable in nature in the city," Williams said.
The city is concentrating on crime reduction, but can always use the assistance of federal law enforcement officials, the mayor said.
The city would be willing to provide funding toward a coordinated crime-fighting plan with the federal government, the mayor added.
Weed and seed
White and Williams officially announced that the lower portion of the city's North Side is receiving an $875,000 grant from the federal Weed and Seed Project.
The federal urban renewal program is aimed at helping cities reduce crime and increase the quality of life in targeted sections.
The designated area includes Wick Park, Youngstown State University, the St. Elizabeth Health Center area, portions of Brier Hill and the area near Mahoning County's Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center.
YSU will serve as the grant's fiscal agent. The money will be spent over a five-year period beginning in January 2007.
skolnick@vindy.com