By Graig Graziosi

ggraziosi@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Board of Control approved the sale of the former site of St. Vincent De Paul soup kitchen to the Winner Holdings Group for $79,000.

In addition to approving that sale Thursday, the board also signed off on a development agreement allowing the city to sell the property to Winner Holding Group for the purpose of turning it into a restaurant.

Earl Winner, the head of Winner Holding Group, said he planned to put a bar and a restaurant in the building and intends to open around the same time the city’s new amphitheater begins operating. Winner also owns a former cigar shop that shares a wall with the building.

The board, composed of the mayor and law and finance directors, also approved a request for the city to enter into a funding agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to accept $4 million for use toward building the downtown amphitheater and Riverfront Park.

The board settled two outstanding conflicts. It approved a settlement agreement with Youngstown Thermal regarding an underbilling dispute. The city will pay $63,005.72 in owed debt and will issue a $46,994.54 credit to Youngstown Thermal for future water billings.

The second settlement agreement saw the city releasing its claims and resolve a more than 2-year-old lawsuit between Youngstown and Kathy Miller of Boardman, which alleged the city was illegally using its water and wastewater money for economic development.

The city will issue $1,450,000 in water credits to city water customers and will pay for the attorney fees and court costs associated with the litigation.