Prime locale in Youngstown deserves a chance to survive

Had the Mahoning County commissioners who were in office in 2004 shared our sense of urgency with regard to the future of Oakhill Renaissance Place, there most likely would not have been a threatened shut down of the complex, or a bankruptcy filing by the Southside Community Development Corp., the non-profit entity that owns the former Southside Medical Center.
Commissioners Edward Reese, Vicki Allen Sherlock and David Ludt failed to put county government's takeover of the complex on a fast track, as we advised them to do, and that resulted in a window of opportunity closing. What is ironic is that Reese, Sherlock and Ludt publicly expressed an interest in the county's owning the complex because one of the buildings could become the new home of the Department of Jobs and Family Services. JFS is now located in the McGuffey Plaza on Youngstown's East Side. At the time, the county was paying the plaza's owner, the Cafaro Co., about $37,000 a month in rent. A month-to-month agreement went into effect after the expiration of the lease in January 2002.
In an editorial published Sept. 25, 2004, we warned Reese, Sherlock and Ludt that "Time is of the essence ..."
However, Reese and Sherlock left office and Anthony Traficanti and John V. McNally IV succeeded them. Ludt has continued to serve on the board of commissioners; he won the Democratic nomination in the May 2 primary in his bid for a third four-year term.
If only he had kept the project on the front burner.
Friday hearing
But all is not lost. If the city of Youngstown, which got a temporary restraining order from the court to stop the SCDC from evicting the tenants, is able to buy some more time through an injunction -- a hearing is set for Friday -- political and community leaders can come together to forge a long-range plan for keeping the complex open.
Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams has publicly pledged to do all he can to ensure that Renaissance Place remains a vital facility abutting the central business district. Likewise, Commissioner Traficanti has publicly stated that he would like to see the county take over the complex with the idea of not only moving the JFS and Child Support Enforcement Agency, which is also located in the McGuffey Plaza, to Renaissance Place, but making it the home of the board of commissioners' office and possibly other administrative agencies.
Meanwhile, there are community leaders who have been working on a strategy that would ensure the short-term and long-term viability of Renaissance Place.
In light of the commitment from the mayor and the commissioner, and the interest shown by community leaders who have nothing to gain financially and are involved only because they care about the stability of the city of Youngstown, we urge the courts to issue an injunction to prevent an emptying out of Renaissance Place. SCDC has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the federal code, but that legal process takes time.
It is essential that the status quo is preserved so city and county governments and community leaders have an opportunity to develop a plan to keep the former Southside Medical Center complex from becoming another boarded up structure.