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DeWine touts fund to help with demolitions
By DAV ID SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
The $3.38 million the Mahoning Valley will receive to demolish blighted structures won’t “take care of everything,” but it will be very helpful, said Attorney General Mike DeWine.
“It is something we think will help neighborhoods,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
DeWine visited the Valley on Tuesday. He spoke at a Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber lunch at Ciminero’s Banquet Centre in Niles and then met with The Vindicator’s editorial board.
Mahoning County and Youngstown officials have expressed disappointment with the county’s allocation of $1,531,680, but are thankful money from the program created by the state attorney general’s office for demolition is coming here.
The attorney general’s office set aside $75 million for demolitions from the state’s $335 million share of a $25 billion national mortgage settlement with the country’s five largest mortgage companies over foreclosure abuse, fraud and improper practices.
DeWine said Ohio is the only state in the nation using money from the settlement for demolitions.
The money is divided among the state’s 88 counties based on the percentage of foreclosures filed in each county between 2008 and 2011.
The money “came to Ohio because of mortgage foreclosures, so distributing it [by foreclosure numbers] is the most logical way” to divide it fairly, he said.
DeWine visited Youngstown in February to kick off the demolition program.
Youngstown has demolished more than 2,500 vacant structures in the past six years. There are about 2,000 to 4,000 more that need to come down, based on various estimates.
To make it easier for counties to get money through DeWine’s Moving Ohio Forward Grant Program, no matching money is needed for the first $500,000 allocated to each county.
Every dollar after that must be matched.
Mahoning County Treasurer Dan Yemma said at least $500,000 of the county’s $1.53 million allocation will go to Youngstown.
The city plans to match that amount and is willing to go up to $1 million if the funds are available, Youngstown Mayor Charles Sammarone says.
Warren Mayor Doug Franklin said his city is working to come up with $300,000 to $400,000 in matching funds, though he’d like the city to get some of the program’s money without providing all of the matching dollars.
Trumbull County will receive $1,2575,797 from the program.
There are about 500 houses in Warren that need to be demolished, he said.
Franklin, who attended Tuesday’s chamber luncheon, said his city has “the most need. We have the lion’s share of slum and blight [in Trumbull County].”
The mayor added that he is pleased with DeWine’s program.
“It’s a great tool,” he said.