City hopes ‘summit’ aids plan

Staff report

WARREN

City residents and the staff of the Poggemeyer Design Group of Bowling Green, Ohio, gathered information a couple of years ago about Warren, and formulated plans for the city’s future.

That information became a strategic plan last spring, and an advisory council was formed to help carry out the recommendations.

On Saturday, the city hopes to further advance that cause with a strategic plan “summit” at 11 a.m. at Packard Music Hall on Mahoning Avenue Northwest. The public is invited.

At a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Michael O’Brien said ideas contained in the plan have gained momentum and started to happen.

For example, the city began construction of the first phase of the Warren Bikeway last summer. The project will provide a way to cycle 3.9 miles from the south end of the city along Thomas Road to some virgin land on the west side of North Park Avenue at the northern city limits.

Construction of the Reinforcement Systems plant on the west end of town and completion of two more city school buildings have taken place since the study was completed, O’Brien noted.

Further, Trumbull County’s new Land Reutilization Corporation, which will help to reduce blight throughout the county, especially in Warren, had its first board of directors meeting this week, said O’Brien, who is a board member.

The city is expecting about a dozen groups, such as the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, to attend sessions at Packard Music Hall starting at 9 a.m. to talk about the plan before the general public arrives.

The plan, which cost $180,000, is available on the city’s website at www.warren.org.