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Lighting project in downtown Struthers moves ahead
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Struthers Mayor Terry Stocker stands on a State Street sidewalk, near where five new streetlights will be installed within the next few weeks. He’s hopeful that lighting improvements, among others, will help to revitalize the city’s downtown.
Project in downtown Struthers moves ahead
By EMMALEE C. TORISK
STRUTHERS
Project by project, the city is literally brightening up its downtown.
City officials say it’s likely that by the end of next month, five new streetlights will line the south side of State Street, stretching from state Route 616 to Poland Avenue.
“They’ll be in addition to the existing lighting downtown,” said Struthers Mayor Terry Stocker. “They’ll enhance what we already have.”
The lights are being funded by approximately $70,000 from the Ohio Development Services Agency’s Community Development Block Grant program, which originally was intended for a different use.
Just a couple of months ago, Stocker and other city officials learned that a verbal agreement with the owners of a 30-by-250-foot piece of property that was to become part of a 17-space parking area had fallen through.
The parking area — set to be located on the east side of State Street — would have eliminated most on-street parking in the city’s downtown, and also would have featured benches and decorative lighting. It was fully funded, too; the remaining $80,000 of the $150,000 project cost was to come from the city’s revolving loan fund.
At the last minute, the city had no choice but to figure out an alternative use for the fiscal year 2013 CDBG funds, which must be spent by the end of this year, said Gary Diorio, project manager for MS Consultants of Youngstown.
Diorio noted that an analysis of existing lighting in the city’s downtown showed that State Street, where the new safety lighting will be installed, is one of its dimmer areas. Once the lights are in place — Diorio estimated that it might “take longer to get the equipment and poles than to install them” — visitors to the city’s downtown won’t have to walk around in darkness as they frequent its restaurants.
He said, too, that the project is part of a larger plan to “lighten up” both State Street and Bridge Street, further enhancing the city’s downtown and maybe even attracting new businesses.
Another downtown lighting project — this one funded mostly through Eastgate Regional Council of Governments — is planned for next year; the city will contribute 20 percent of the approximately $200,000 project, which includes pedestrian walkways and signals.
Stocker said the city still is pursuing the creation of a downtown parking area and is moving forward with the eminent-domain process. In the meantime, however, he and others are focused on using up the CDBG funds for fiscal year 2013.
Diorio noted that S.E.T. Inc. of Lowellville was selected as the lowest of four bidders, with a bid of $57,800. Bids were opened Aug. 20 — about a month after county commissioners approved the alternate project.
“It’s just one phase of two or three phases to upgrade the whole downtown,” he said.