Danger still lurks in Mahoning courthouse as restoration stalls

YOUNGSTOWN — Despite a structural engineer’s warnings of dangerous conditions, the Mahoning County Courthouse still has a temporary roof where statues atop the building were removed in October 2010, and the county still hasn’t proceeded with the building’s long-awaited restoration.

The county commissioners recently advertised for bids to replace boilers and awarded a renovation contract for a new inmate- holding area in the courthouse, but they are still in the final stages of hiring an architect and engineer to oversee the building’s restoration after a contract dispute with the previous architect.

Removal of the statues and shoring up the statue support structure with steel cables “likely prevented a catastrophic collapse,” wrote Carol A. Stevens, a structural engineer, more than two years ago.

However, in her Aug. 24, 2011, letter to Architect Robert Mastriana, who was then guiding the restoration, Stevens said those measures were only temporary.

County commissioners say they don’t want any more delays in correcting the safety hazards and restoring the 102-year-old building.

For the complete story, read Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com