Youngstown gets windfall for its demolition program

With twice the amount of state dollars coming to the city of Youngstown than had been expected for its demolition program, Mayor Charles Sammarone will be under even more pressure from residents to ensure that the bureaucracy in City Hall doesn’t rear its ugly head and derail this singularly important campaign — as it has done so many times before. Sammarone was anticipating $500,000 from Mahoning County Treasurer Dan Yemma, who is managing the $1.53 million sent by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, but he has now been told the city will receive $500,000 more.

That amount, coupled with the $1 million the mayor has committed from the general fund, should pay for the demolition of hundreds of vacant, uninhabitable structures throughout Youngstown.

Indeed, Sammarone had set a target of 500 structures when it appeared that the total amount available for the demolition would be $1.5 million. Now, with $2 million in the treasury, the city should be able to tear down an even greater number. Of course, a lot depends on the competence of city officials responsible for the demolition program. The mayor, who has had a long relationship with city government though his tenure as a councilman, president of council and water commissioner, is well aware that residents’ patience is wearing thin — especially in neighborhoods where blight is not only an eyesore, but a safety and health hazard.

With the goal of removing as many impediments to demolition as possible, Sammarone has hired CT Consultants of Youngstown to oversee asbestos tesing and construction inspection, and Environmental Protection Systems of Girard to remove asbestos from 300 to 350 vacant residential homes. CT Consultants will be paid $1.059 per structure, while Environmental Protection will receive at least $550,000.

Given that there are between 2,000 and 4,500 dilapidated residential structures in Youngstown that need to be torn down, the $1 million from the county treasurer can easily be justified. Nonetheless, we can imagine the other communities in the county not being happy with having to share the $531,680 left over. Austintown, Beaver, Beloit, Boardman, Campbell, Coitsville, Lowellville, Milton, Sebring, Springfield and the Mahoning County Land Revitalization Corp. will receive varying amounts, depending on whether they are committing matching dollars from their operating funds.

Boardman Township

In Boardman, for instance, the $100,000 from the treasurer’s office will be matched with $100,000 from the township’s coffers. The $200,000 will enable Boardman to tear down a majority of the homes that are on the demolition list.

But Youngstown, like most older urban communities in the country, has a blight problem that will take many millions of dollars to address.

As Mayor Sammarone put it, “My goal is to tear down as many vacant homes as possible. I would have taken $20 million. If you’ve got $20 million in unused money, send it here, and we’ll spend it.”

Those comments were no doubt addressed to Attorney General Mike DeWine, who is administering $335 million Ohio is getting from the $25 billion national mortgage settlement. DeWine has set aside $75 million of that sum for a statewide demolition program.

We had previously expressed our dismay at the fact that Mahoning County would receive only $1,531,680 when the need in Youngstown alone was so much greater.

However, DeWine defended the allocation, saying a formula had to be developed that would provide for a fair and objective standard.

If Mayor Sammarone wants $20 million, he should get in touch with his predecessor, Jay Williams, who is now working in the White House, and remind him that he left more than 2,000 dilapidated structure standing when he left office last August. It is true that 2,500 structures were torn down during Williams’ five years and seven months as mayor.