Campbell addresses center plan for youths

By jeanne starmack

starmack@vindy.com

CAMPBELL

City council is expected to move forward toward the goal of starting a youth and community center.

At its caucus meeting Wednesday, council members agreed to draft two resolutions. One will authorize the mayor or finance director and council members to search out grants that would be available for a temporary building. The second resolution will authorize a search for grants for a permanent building.

A committee of government, community and religious leaders began meeting in January to explore starting a youth center.

The committee toured the old Faith Temple Baptist Church building on Roosevelt Boulevard, which is for sale, and believes it would be a suitable site for the center until grants become available later to build a new building.

But the committee isn’t going to be able to come up with the funding on its own, says Dr. Robert Walls, principal of Campbell Elementary School and committee leader.

Walls has told council that state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd, indicated the city would have an easier time applying for and winning grants for the project.

“We can’t raise $1.6 million on bake sales,” Walls said Wednesday.

The resolutions council is expected to draft also will direct the city officials who are searching for grants to report what they find in 30 days. Then, the city is to come up with a plan for action.

Councilman Bryan Tedesco wanted to know if the cash-strapped city would have to come up with matches for grants, and others pitched ideas about who would write for the grants. Walls said the search for grants is the focus now.

“This is a long journey, and you have to start with a step,” he said.

Gerald Hamilton, a committee member who represents Neighborhood Ministries, said the city can seek out grants that don’t require matches.

Hamilton said Neighborhood Ministries would be willing to manage the center.

Several social-services agencies have agreed to have a presence there, he said.

Council is expected to introduce the resolutions at its April 7 meeting.