Sweet Jenny Land Co. gets guarantee to buy building

The CIC enthusiastically approved the plan.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A downtown property redevelopment agency agreed to give a company 90 days of exclusivity on the John R. Davis Building to get its finances in order to buy the long-vacant structure.
The exclusivity guarantees that the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. won't entertain any other offers for the West Federal Street building during that time.
The Sweet Jenny Land Co. of Youngstown, consisting of three architects, plans to spend about 330,000 to renovate the building.
The city has given tentative approval to provide about 75,000 to the company for the project. About 200,000 of the project's cost is coming from a bank loan that hasn't been finalized.
The guarantee is traditionally the first step taken by the CIC before leasing or selling its downtown properties for redevelopment.
CIC members enthusiastically approved the guarantee Tuesday to the Youngstown company for the building located just east of the Downtown Draught House. The CIC's property committee recommended the guarantee at its meeting last week.
About the company
Sweet Jenny consists of Ronald Cornell Faniro, who owns an architectural firm, and two of his employees, Frank Rulli and Paul Hagman.
The firm would take up the second floor of the three-story structure. Hagman would use the third floor as an art studio and live there. The company plans to lease the first floor, Faniro said.
The CIC meeting was delayed by about 30 minutes because the agency was one member short of a quorum. Under bylaws enacted earlier this year, the agency can have members vote while listening to the meeting on the telephone, a common practice in recent months.
The agency was able to get Dr. David C. Sweet, Youngstown State University president and a CIC member, on a cellular telephone. The phone's volume was raised in order to hear his voice vote.
At some point during the discussion of the John R. Davis Building project, the phone connection with Sweet was lost. Sweet didn't vote on the issue and no attempt was made to call him again because it was the last issue on the agenda in need of a vote.
Once the board has achieved a quorum, it can start its official business -- but after that point, a majority of members is not needed to cast votes, according to the CIC's bylaws.
skolnick@vindy.com