Wick Neighbors Inc. has been absorbed by Youngstown CityScape

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Wick Neighbors Inc., formed more than a decade ago to revitalize the city’s Smoky Hollow area, has been absorbed by Youngstown CityScape.

The decision to make Wick Neighbors a formal committee of CityScape and no longer its own entity was done after 11 months of discussion, according to a Thursday announcement.

“The benefits of this merger include a more holistic mission, greater impact on the urban core, streamlined operations through combined leadership, and combined credibility,” said Sharon Letson, CityScape’s executive director.

The Rev. Richard Murphy, former Wick Neighbors board president and now a member of the new board, said the change will benefit the Smoky Hollow area and all of downtown.

The Smoky Hollow area takes in 66 acres bounded by Wick, Andrews, Rayen and Madison avenues, with most of the property owned by Youngstown State University.

Wick Neighbors had proposed a $250 million revitalization plan for the area in 2005 that included housing, commercial and retail space, public infrastructure and a park. The amount was reduced to $100 million two years later. The organization spent $1.5 million, most of it from grants, two years ago to replace water and sanitary sewer lines. The group was also working on a project to bury utility wires underground on Wick Avenue as part of a beautification project.