Absence of a demolition list makes Youngstown look bad

Youngstown has been battling housing blight and neighborhood deterioration for many years, and yet a drive through the seedier sections of the city reveals a seemingly intractable problem with no solutions.

To be sure, Youngstown isn’t much different from other old, urban cities, as a recent study in Ohio showed. Statewide, there are 70,000-plus abandoned and vacant houses, including 4,500 in Youngstown, 2,500 in Warren and 14,000 in Cleveland.

But what may set Youngstown apart from other communities is the absence of a comprehensive demolition list that would allow politicians and bureaucrats to establish priorities.

Without such a list, demolition has been conducted on an arbitrary basis.

Indeed, DeMaine Kitchen, administrator of the mayor’s office and a former councilman, admits there is no process.

“It was complaint-driven and determined by whomever you were talking to: demolition department, administration, neighbors and council,” Kitchen told The Vindicator, which published a front-page story last Sunday that revealed the absence of a list and the problems stemming from such bureaucratic incompetence. “There never was any order.”

But the administration of Mayor Charles Sammarone, who took over as the chief executive last August, is working to change that.

A new citywide internal software program to be launched shortly will track every stage, from housing inspections to demolition.

That’s good news, especially since Youngs-town’s battle with housing blight and neighborhood deterioration has attracted the attention of state and federal officials. The city has received millions of dollars to tear down structures that cannot be saved, and is seeking even more funding.

Joining forces

It has joined forces with other communities to lobby the state and federal governments for new sources of funding and for relaxing environmental regulations that are now a barrier to demolition.

The Sammarone administration is on the right track with the software program that will provide a comprehensive picture of the demolition program. But, the inability of residents to download the information and track what’s going on in their neighborhoods is troubling.We would urge the mayor and Kitchen to facilitate public access.

Not only do residents have a right to know what’s happening on their streets, they should be able to monitor the computerized records maintained by City Hall to ensure that work is getting done by the deadlines that have been set.