Despite funding setback, village to pursue downtown revitalization

November 19, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

LOWELLVILLE

The village plans to pursue upgrades to its downtown, despite being denied grant money for partial funding.

Lowellville’s downtown revitalization project seeks to give the village’s business district a facelift through improvements including street repavement, new curbs and installation of decorative lighting. The total project price tag is estimated at $515,489.

The village already has secured $330,400 of that money through an Ohio Department of Transportation grant, but is expected to come up with the rest of the money from another source.

The village applied for nearly $185,000 from the Ohio Public Works Commission, but heard Wednesday that the application was rejected. So officials plan to seek grant money elsewhere.

If the village does not win the small-governments grant, officials said they will find room in the village’s budget.

Mayor James Iudiciani Sr. said that is feasible, adding, “I’m not worried about it.”

In other business, council is considering purchasing security-camera systems from Cyclops Technology Group. Iudiciani suggested placing cameras in one or more strategic public locations, such as near the school or outside Youngstown Metropolitan Housing, a government-subsidized apartment building, but several council members have raised concerns about cost.

Though the village has yet to negotiate exact pricing with Cyclops, Councilman William Flora has said he doesn’t believe Lowellville experiences enough crime to justify paying for the cameras. Council will further discuss the matter at a safety committee meeting next week.