Mahoning commissioners review options for shuttered center

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners met Thursday morning with the Community Improvement Corporation board to review funding options to revitalize the Youngstown Developmental Center.

That Mineral Ridge facility was shuttered in June 2017.

Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti said the corporation has about $81,000 remaining, a portion of which could go toward hiring consultants or lobbyists to find grant monies to pour into the estimated $2.8 million project.

Several area nonprofits have already committed to providing services for vulnerable populations such as the disabled or elderly at the center, including Alta Behavioral Healthcare, the Youngstown-area YMCA and Compass Family and Community Services, she said.

During a Thursday commissioners board meeting, county Engineer Pat Ginnetti also discussed an approaching fundraiser for blood cancer donor foundation Be the Match, in honor of his late wife Missy, who survived cancer but later succumbed to a blood clot.

The inaugural Missy Ginetti Hope Gala fundraiser is set for 6 p.m. March 14 at The Lake Club in Poland, 1140 Paulin Road.

Tickets are $125 and include dinner and an open bar. To purchase tickets, visit bethematch.com/hopegala.