State OKs YSU property purchase

The state will spend $10,500 for
podiatrist services at the prison in Youngstown.

By MARC KOVAC

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

COLUMBUS — The state Controlling Board has signed off on Youngstown State University’s purchase of two vacant properties near campus as part of its Smoky Hollow Redevelopment Plan.

Members approved the university’s acquisition of 0.248 acres at a cost of $8,000 and 0.24 acres at a cost of $15,000.

The first is owned by Charles Pulice, Anthony Pulice and John Polish and is located on North Watt Street (Lot 159).

The second is owned by Joseph Buchenic and is at 264 Carlton St.

Both have market values of $15,000, according to appraisals conducted by All American Real Estate Services of Canfield.

Richard White, associate director of planning and construction at YSU, told the controlling board that the owners were made aware of the appraisal, but “they just requested $8,000.”

Also Monday, the board approved an amendment to the master facilities plan for the Jackson-Milton Local School District, reducing planned construction projects by about $1 million. The state earlier approved plans for kindergarten-sixth-grade and seventh-12th-grade buildings

“As the design progressed, the district found that it was able to ... add another grade level to the [seven-12] building,” according to documents.

Thus, the School Facilities Commission has approved a sixth-grade-12th-grade building (currently being constructed) and a kindergarten-fifth-grade building (planned for the future).

The change decreased the plan costs by $178,123 in state funds and $869,396 in local funds.

Other action

The board also approved $1,117,688 to clean up the 20.70-acre former Oliver China Co. property in Sebring and prepare it for future commercial uses.

The total project cost is about $1.5 million. Royal Sebring is providing about $247,005 of the total, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing $164,638, according to documents.

In other business, the board approved $10,500 for “comprehensive podiatry services” at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown.

Intellicore, of Alliance, will provide the services at a cost of $4,500 for fiscal 2008 and $6,000 for 2009, according to documents. The company was the lone responder to a request for foot-doctor services. Earlier proposal requests, posted in April and May, received no response.