Workshops to bring together national reinvestment experts

The workshops will provide information to help the city's redevelopment effort.
YOUNGSTOWN -- National experts will discuss solutions on how to rebuild Youngstown's neighborhoods at five workshops, the first on Wednesday.
The "Neighborhood Reinvestment: How To's" program is coordinated by Youngstown 2010 and Wick Neighbors Inc. The program is sponsored by numerous banks, foundations and agencies as well as St. John Episcopal Church, Youngstown State University and Buy Into Youngstown.
"We want to raise awareness and increase an understanding in neighborhood reinvestment," said Margaret Murphy, Wick Neighbors' executive director. "We want to expose people and organizations to the tools and steps needed for reinvestment."
The workshops will be at the Butler Institute of American Art on Wick Avenue. The events are free. The workshops can accommodate up to 100 people on a first-come, first-served basis.
"This is vital to continue to move the city in the right direction," Murphy said. "We're very fortunate to have this here. Typically you have to go to larger cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago or New York to hear these speakers."
Coming together
These workshops will bring together people from various organizations interested in Youngstown's redevelopment, said Anthony Kobak, the city planning department's chief planner, who was instrumental in the development of the city's 2010 land-use plan.
"This will give us a perspective on what's happening elsewhere," he said. "It will take action like this to continue to revitalize the city."
The workshops will help promote revitalization projects already being planned, such as Wick Neighbors' $250 million redevelopment of the Wick District-Smoky Hollow area as well as an effort to link YSU to downtown through the Lincoln-Rayen-Wood project, said Justin McCarty, vice president of commercial banking at Chase Bank's Youngstown office. Chase is one of the sponsors of the workshops.
"The workshops will allow people to be aware of what the potential is for this city," McCarty said. "It's fun to see and be part of the renaissance of what's going on here. The community is on the upswing and it's exciting to see the growth we've had."
Starts Wednesday
The first workshop is set for 7-9 p.m. Wednesday. It will discuss how local government, nonprofit community development organizations, and financial and community institutions can revive urban neighborhoods.
A second workshop on vacant properties is set for 7-9 p.m. June 14. There are workshops scheduled for September, October and November, but guest speakers still need to be booked.