Mayor pursuing aggressive demolition plan; goal is 500

Youngstown Mayor Charles P. Sammarone has 18 months before his tenure ends, and he’s determined to leave his mark on the city he has served for so long.

Tearing down vacant, uninhabitable structures that are an eyesore and a safety and health hazard in too many neighborhoods has been the mayor’s goal since he took office last August.

Thus, his recent announcement of an aggressive demolition program came as no surprise. But what did grab our attention is the number of structures he wants torn down by the time he departs: 500.

The goal may seem unattainable, but it isn’t when viewed against the record of his predecessor, Jay Williams.

From January 2006 to August 2011, the city under then Mayor Williams demolished 2,500 structures. That translates to 37 a month. Sammarone’s monthly target would be 28 structures.

To accomplish his goal, the mayor has hired a consultant to administer the residential demolition program. CT Consultants of Youngstown will be paid $1,059 per structure to oversee asbestos testing and construction inspection.

At the beginning of 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began enforcing a policy that requires communities using federal money to test for asbestos and clean up whatever is found. It’s an expensive and time-consuming proposition, as former Mayor Williams, now a member of President Obama’s administration, complained at the time.

City officials estimated that the typical cost of $2,500 to $4,000 for each demolition would increase to $4,000 to $6,000 a structure.

Williams, who resigned last August to join the administration and was replaced by Sammarone, who was council president at the time, called the EPA requirements “unreasonable” and “an overreach.”

Perhaps in his new position as the deputy director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Williams can impress upon the administration the undue hardship caused by the EPA regulations governing demolition of vacant, dilapidated structures.

He had originally been appointed executive director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers.

In his new position, Williams will be working with government officials at the state and local levels to help them in their dealings with Washington.

Old, urban communities

Having served as director of the Youngstown Community Development Agency before becoming mayor, Williams is well aware of the challenges confronting old, urban communities. He can provide invaluable insight to federal bureaucrats, many of whom have never held office or worked in local government.

Mayor Sammarone understands that blight is not only unsightly but affects the psyche of the community. That’s why he is committing $1 million from the city’s treasury to bolster the $500,000 Youngstown is receiving from Mahoning County Treasurer Dan Yemma. The county has been approved for $1.53 million by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which is administering $335 million Ohio will get from the $25 billion national mortgage settlement.

Mayor Sammarone’s plan to tear down 500 structures by the time he leaves office may not materialize. But he is to be commended for at least giving it a shot.