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Owner removes siding deemed in violation
YOUNGSTOWN
The owner of a downtown building finally took down vinyl siding put up in violation of the city’s exterior design code.
Denise Powell, owner of 25 W. Federal St., had contractors remove the siding Wednesday. It took less than an hour to take it down.
Powell, who observed the work being done, wasn’t in a talkative mood when a Vindicator reporter asked for a comment.
“I have nothing to say,” Powell said. “You need to leave.”
When told it was a public sidewalk, Powell opted to walk away from the reporter.
The downtown building currently houses President Barack Obama’s Youngstown-area campaign office.
Powell was charged with violating the city’s Design Review Committee code in June 2011 for installing vinyl siding on most of the front of the building.
Powell received permission from the DRC in September 2008 to use Hardie board, a hard fiber-cement siding, on the exterior.
Instead, she waiting until June 2011 to do anything, and that was to install the vinyl siding. That led to the city’s filing the minor misdemeanor charge.
On Oct. 26, 2011, a week before Powell’s court hearing, Laura Arroyo, Powell’s construction manager, said her client may not have the money to comply with the code, but “we’re going to get it done.”
Also just before the hearing, then-city Prosecutor Jay Macejko had the charge dismissed saying he’d come to a private agreement with Powell’s attorney to address the exterior issue. Macejko has since been fired as city prosecutor and Dana Lantz, his replacement, said Wednesday that she didn’t know the details of that agreement.
City officials said they expect the project to be done in a few weeks.
“She’s got a permit, and I don’t think this will take long,” said Charles Shasho, a DRC member and deputy director of the city’s public works department. “We’re happy she’s comply with the design-review decision.”
Bill D’Avignon, DRC chairman and director of the city’s Community Development Agency, said, “I’m glad to see them finally doing it.”
The city gave a $100,000 grant to Powell in 2007 after she agreed to spend about $568,000 to purchase and improve the vacant building.
Powell bought the building for $191,000 in July 2007 and did some improvement work, but has yet to finish the project. Arroyo had previously said the lack of money was the main reason the project isn’t done.