Trending
YOUNGSTOWN - City council approved five resolutions authorizing Youngstown to apply for federal funding for street improvement projects to be done between 2025 and 2028 - and voted on very little else.
Council chose Wednesday to give first readings to 13 of the 16 ordinances on the agenda. Those 13 sought to increase annual purchase orders for the sanitation department as well as for the demolition and zoning departments.
All of those departments are under the supervision of Michael Durkin, the city's housing demolition and code enforcement superintendent. Durkin informed council before Wednesday's meeting that he couldn't attend.
Some of the requested purchase orders for 2024 were significant increases compared with last year, and council wanted to ask Durkin questions about the changes. It was decided to give the items first readings Wednesday and reconsider them at the Jan. 17 meeting, which Durkin is expected to attend.
The street improvement resolutions approved Wednesday are for five total projects costing $7,431,475.06 with the expectation from Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works, that federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funding would cover 80% of the costs.
The city has discussed the projects and the funding with officials at the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Shasho said. The city would use state grants or local money raised through its license fees to pay the rest, he said.
The projects are on "federal aid system" roads, Shasho said.
An estimated $1,196,244 project to sections of Wood Street, McGuffey Road and Sheridan Avenue would start in 2025, Shasho said.
Like three of the four other projects, this includes repaving, drainage work, making the roads compliant with federal Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, striping the roads and adding signs.
A project, estimated to cost $1,298,904.39, would start in 2026 to sections of Marshall, High and Edwards streets and Glenwood Avenue.
In 2027, two projects are planned.
One is a repaving and drainage project like the work planned for other streets in 2025 and 2026 and would be to sections of Salt Springs Road as well as North and South Belle Vista avenues at an estimated cost of $1,217,903.82.
The other 2027 project is different, Shasho said.
That project, estimated to cost $2,315,654.70 would reduce vehicular lanes on Elm Street from the Madison Avenue Expressway to Broadway Avenue as well as widen sidewalks and put in more lighting.
"It's kind of a road diet," Shasho said.
Also Wednesday, Finance Director Kyle Miasek said a nonbinding fact-finder report on contract negotiations with the firefighters union will be done Jan. 10. Council will vote on whether to approve or reject the report at its Jan. 17 meeting.
The city and the union have seven days to vote on a fact-finder report after it is finished, he said.
If no action is taken in those seven days, the report automatically is accepted.