Use recommended for extra funds

WARREN -- Michael Keys, the city's community development director, asked city council's community development committee to allocate 130,000 in extra funds to street resurfacing and the cleanup of the former Mahoningside power plant.
When council passed the 2007 community development block grant funds in November, Keys estimated that Warren would receive 1.2 million in funding. However, when Congress passed its budget in January, Warren received 130,000 more than expected, Keys said at a community development committee meeting Wednesday.
Keys requested that the three-member committee -- made up of Councilwoman Helen Rucker, D-at large, and Councilmen Gary Fonce, D-at large, and James Pugh, D-6th -- approve spending 75,000 on street resurfacing and 55,000 to fill a hole at the former Mahoningside power plant.
The block grant is given by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for economic development and urban renewal.
Committee members will vote on the proposed allocations once they see a list of which streets the city is planning to resurface, Fonce said.