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Hearing set Dec. 10 on seizure of business
The city seeks to demolish the machine shop for a street extension for a YSU project.
YOUNGSTOWN — The city law director wants a magistrate to hand over a small machine shop to the city under eminent domain, and then let a jury decide what compensation the shop owner should receive for his property.
A hearing will be at 9 a.m. Dec. 10 on the city’s motion to seize and demolish the business for a street extension in conjunction with Youngstown State University’s new $34.3 million business school.
Magistrate Dennis Sarisky of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court set the hearing on this and other motions in the city’s lawsuit that seeks to take the Grenga Machine & Welding Co. machine shop and storage facility at 128 W. Rayen Ave.
The city plans to tear down the Grenga building to make way for a northward extension of Hazel Street designed to link the university with the city’s downtown.
The university broke ground for the new business school this fall.
Iris Torres Guglucello, city law director, said the city’s position is that the law requires Sarisky to order the property turned over to the city.
After the Dec. 10 hearing, the only issue that should remain for a jury trial is how much compensation Joseph Grenga should receive for his property, Torres Guglucello said.
“The only issue left here is: What is the value of the property and is the city paying a fair value for it?,” Torres Guglucello said.
When the city filed its petition to appropriate Grenga’s property in January, it deposited $205,000 in escrow with the court and attached a city council resolution and ordinance in support of the acquisition.
Grenga rejected the city’s offer to buy the 102-year-old, 10,515-square-foot building for that amount. Grenga had purchased the building for $95,800 in 2001.
Grenga appeared at a Friday hearing representing himself and without a lawyer, but he was facing four lawyers for the city: the law director; Dan Pribich, deputy city law director; and Cleveland eminent domain specialists, Attys. Anthony J. Coyne and John W. Monroe.
“The purpose of the acquisition is to make improvements and install a road identified as Hazel Street,” Coyne said, adding that the only parcel not yet resolved for the street extension is Grenga’s.
The writ of possession the city seeks “will enable the city to actually commence with demolition of the structure on the property” and make way for the street extension, Coyne told the magistrate.
Also sitting with the city’s lawyers was Elizabeth Phillips, assistant county prosecutor. The county is involved in this case because of its appraisal and property tax collection functions.
Sarisky advised Grenga he has a right to a lawyer and strongly urged him to speak with one. “This is a serious matter. You’re talking about a lot of money here. You’re talking about property that might be taken away from you,” Sarisky said. “You’re at a disadvantage,” without a lawyer, Sarisky told Grenga.
Sitting with Grenga was Jim Villani, owner of Pig Iron Press, 26 N. Phelps St., who filed two friend-of-the-court briefs on Grenga’s behalf.
“Mr. Grenga does not want to give up his property, and the university and the city don’t really need that property,” Villani said. Villani said he wants to see mixed land use in the university area, including business, institutional and residential uses.
Grenga declined to comment after the court hearing.