Sharon Letson, executive director of Youngstown CityScape, stands in front of the former Welsh Congregational Church, the oldest church in the city. Relocation sites for the church proposed by the city aren’t viable, Letson said.

YOUNGSTOWN — A city study on locations for the former Welsh Congregational Church — the oldest house of worship still standing in Youngstown — includes three locations in the Wick Park area and one near its current site.

But Sharon Letson, executive director of Youngstown CityScape, the nonprofit community development organization that owns the church, said none of the proposals from the city are feasible.

“The city didn’t vet the sites before issuing the report,” Letson said. “The city did some analysis, but none of the stakeholders were around when looking at or talking about the sites. They shared the report after it was done.”

The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, which owns the property where the church is located, says it needs the site for parking. If the church isn’t moved shortly, the diocese plans to demolish it.

The diocese purchased the 159-year-old church in 2015 to take it down for parking, but agreed two years later to give it to CityScape — if the organization could relocate it.

“Saving a historic structure is not for the faint at heart,” Letson said. “We’re committed to the project. We have to find a site that’s doable. You have to look at the overhead wires and how it can be moved. The distance is a problem and because of the construction on Fifth Avenue we can’t go very far. We’re also limited with the cost of moving overhead lines. We’re still talking and looking to come you with other alternatives.”

VINDICATOR ASKS

CityScape wanted to move the church to “the Wedge,” a location on the corner of West Wood and North Hazel streets from its current location at 220 Elm St. But at a July 30 city council buildings and grounds committee meeting, Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, and Basia Adamczak, D-7th Ward, took a firm stance against the relocation.

“It’s a flat-out no,” Oliver said.

Instead, Hunter Morrison, the city’s planning consultant, and Nikki Posterli, head of the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development Department, said the city had other sites for the church. They declined to list the potential locations during the July 30 meeting.

The Vindicator submitted a public records request for the list that was initially ignored for a few weeks.

A follow-up on Sept. 15 resulted in James Vivo, assistant law director, declining to disclose the study — done by Youngstown State University’s Department of Humanities. Vivo claimed an “intellectual property” exemption and concerns that providing the locations could cause an inflation of the possible sale price.

The newspaper challenged that exemption contention, and the city law department agreed to provide the report.

THE SITES

Attempts to reach Posterli to comment about the proposed sites were unsuccessful.

The locations are:

l 214 W. Wood St., which is on diocese property and a short distance from the structure’s current location. That’s a problem, Letson said, because the diocese has plans for that site.

l The northwest corner of Park and Ford avenues on property owned by the Henry H. Stambaugh Auditorium and near Wick Park. CityScape has had discussions with Stambaugh Auditorium officials who are not interested in having the church there, Letson said.

l 259 Park Ave., adjacent to Stambaugh Auditorium and near Wick Park. The property is owned by the city. Letson said the location isn’t good because it’s in a residential neighborhood.

l 935 Elm St., a seven-parcel location with two of them owned by the city, two owned by the city land bank and three owned by Bright Star Church of God in Christ. This location is also near Wick Park. The locations near the park are too far to move the church because of the expense of moving overhead utility lines and construction closing a large section of Fifth Avenue, she said.

CityScape’s original plan was to move to the Wedge, but the city said no. CityScape then proposed the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre site, but the city recommended Wick Park. The city then decided Wick Park wouldn’t work and the Wedge was chosen again, before being rejected a second time.

The main problem with the Wedge site is it is on a main Youngstown Thermal steam line.

“The longer it goes on, the more frustrating it is,” Letson said. “We were led to believe the Wedge parcel would work if we incorporated what was there. It didn’t work that way.”

The church was built in 1861 and is across the street from the diocesan offices. A 1997 fire damaged the church, and it’s been closed ever since, falling into disrepair.

CityScape received a $150,000 donation from Roberta Hannay, a Wick family descendant, to renovate it.

The entire project will cost about $1 million, Letson said.

The plan for the building is for the top floor to be community space and the bottom floor for office space.