State OKs purchase of land by university

Spending was approved for improvements at parks in Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

COLUMBUS — State lawmakers signed off on Youngstown State University’s plans to purchase land from five property owners for campus developments.

The Controlling Board, without comment, OK’d more than $450,000 to purchase the parcels:

UThe university will pay about $146,000 for 0.309 acre from the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown. The lots are located at 236 N. Phelps St. and 1504 and 1505 Lincoln Ave.

U YSU will pay $240,000 for 0.386 acre from ADE Inc., and as part of the transaction, the university will provide written acceptance to the company of a gift of $80,000, according to documents. The parcels are located at 100 W. Wood St. The sites will be used for the university’s new Williamson College of Business, to be completed in late 2010, according to documents.

U The university will pay $36,000 for 0.124 acre from Ethel M. Searles. The parcel is located at 280 Valley St. YSU will pay $8,400 for 0.156 acre from the Youngstown State University Foundation. The lot is located at 223 Court St. Both parcels will be used as part of YSU’s Smoky Hollow Development Project, according to documents.

U YSU will pay $28,000 for 0.551 acre from Donald S. and Carol J. Gubany. The parcel, located at 519 Belmont Ave., is for a new parking area.

State documents noted, “There will be no tuition increase because of” the land acquisitions.

The Controlling Board also released $2 million for foreclosure prevention counseling provided by agencies statewide, including nearly $250,000 for efforts in Mahoning, Portage and other area counties.

Two dozen nonprofit agencies will receive grants through the Low and Moderate Income Housing Trust Fund to provide the counseling to a combined 9,000 low- and moderate-income households in 64 counties who are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure.

Mahoning County Children and Family Services will receive $50,000, with which it will provide foreclosure prevention counseling to 706 households consisting of 1,977 individuals, according to documents.

The board also approved spending for improvements at parks in Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

Members released $209,475 for a wastewater collection system at Mosquito Lake State Park and $80,000 for sewer services at Beaver Creek State Park.

The former will involve the replacement of “an existing, outdated, single-lane recreational vehicle holding tank dump station” with a new system that will double the current capacity, according to documents.

The project will include new lighting fixtures and a temporary dump station, for use by campers during construction of the new system.

DanCo General Contracting of Lordstown will serve as general contractor, while Dies Electric Inc. of Akron will handle electrical systems. The work is expected to be completed by July, according to documents.

At Beaver Creek, funding will be used to extend a new county-owned sewer system to the park boundary, for future use. The Columbiana County Water and Sewer District is completing a $1 million-plus treatment plant. Existing park facilities use on-site septic systems for waste treatment, according to documents. The park will connect to the new county system once plans for a sewage collection system within the park are developed.

The Controlling Board also released $60,2000 for fence repairs at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. Soft soil conditions and settling issues have caused the fence to shift and tilt, according to documents.

The board also released $14 million to pay for school bus purchases at districts statewide.

The total includes about $3.9 million for buses used to transport nonpublic and disabled pupils and about $10 million for all others.

The former is based on the number of pupils served; the latter takes into account the number of pupils, miles driven and other factors.

Fifteen districts in Mahoning County will receive a combined $357,884, including $111,807 for nonpublic and disabled pupils.

Twenty-two districts in Trumbull County will receive a combined $287,301, including $54,623 for nonpublic and disabled pupils.

Thirteen districts in Columbiana County will receive a combined $138,260, including $16,556 for nonpublic and disabled pupils.