YSU to demolish building near Staples' for parking

YOUNGSTOWN

Another building near the Youngstown State University campus is slated for demolition.

John Hyden, YSU executive director of facilities, said the former United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 171 union hall at 348 W. Rayen Ave., next to Charlie Staples Bar-B-Que, is scheduled for razing Monday.

“In the short term, it will probably be used for parking,” he said.

No long-term plans for the space have been identified.

YSU bought the building in 2010 for $145,000, the appraised value, from the union, which moved to another location. Hyden sad the union established a scholarship at the university with a “significant chunk” of that amount.

The building, built in 1966, had been vacant for about a year when YSU bought it. The state Controlling Board approved the purchase in May 2010.

“We were hoping to find a use for it,” the executive director said.

Those attempts were unsuccessful, though, and YSU was paying to maintain the building so it opted instead to demolish it.

Siegel Excavating of Edinburg, Pa., is doing the work for about $67,000.

Read more about the building and plans in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.