YOUNGSTOWN — City council is being asked by the administration to approve a $3 million American Rescue Plan allocation to hire an architectural firm for the proposed safety-service campus, but some members are cool to the idea.

The legislation, sponsored by Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, for Wednesday’s council meeting is a first step toward an envisioned $45 million safety-service complex on the city’s North Side, near the Liberty Township border.

Brown in December asked council to consider spending up to $15 million in ARP funds for the facility, but several members said it was too much money and didn’t like the location.

“Council wanted some hard number and to do that we have to put it out (to hire an architect) to find out what the real number is,” Brown said Thursday. “That was one of the questions: What is the true number? Let’s go out and find some hard numbers.”

Asked if he was surprised some council members questioned spending the $3 million, Brown said, “Not necessarily surprised. We’re trying to move the project forward.”

The site proposed by the administration is on Wick Avenue at what was known as the Wick Six, a group of new car dealerships that left in the 1980s as the area deteriorated.

The city purchased much of the 12 acres of property in 2015 and has spent at least $750,000, most of it from grants, to clean up the area for development.

Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th Ward, said the legislative body is “not in an agreement on it being the best location. I’m not sold on it being the best solution for our current situation. We all know the facilities are outdated, but we need to consider the best economic and safety solution.”

Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, who has opposed the location, said Thursday: “I will be asking a lot of questions (Wednesday). Three million dollars for an architect?”

Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, who backs the proposal, said: “I’m fine with $3 million. I support the project. There’s a way for us to get it done cheaper than $45 million, but I also feel our safety forces have been dealing with what they’re dealing with so we should spare no expense.”

Councilwoman Amber White, I-7th Ward, said: “At this very moment, I’m not able to answer those questions (about supporting the $3 million ARP allocation). I need to ask questions to find out more details.”

The city doesn’t have enough remaining money left in its ARP allocation to spend $10 to $15 million toward the proposed campus. Brown previously said approved funding requests by council could be reallocated. He mentioned $10.5 million for parks and recreation projects and $2 million for property acquisition to permit the city to buy land for business development and to help rebuild neighborhoods.

The administration wants to spend $45 million on a 138,000-square-foot space for the police and main fire building.

Whatever money wouldn’t come from the ARP fund as well as potential state and federal funds would be borrowed by the city over a 20-year period.

The project would take eight to 10 months to design and another 18 to 24 months to construct.

The city has spent about $11.4 million of its $82.8 million ARP award, but council has approved allocating all but about $8.5 million of it.

REPEAL REQUEST

Also at Wednesday’s council meeting, White is sponsoring legislation to repeal three ARP allocations, totaling $1,373,093, council approved at its Dec. 20 meeting. Those items were sponsored by Basia Adamczak during her last meeting as 7th Ward councilwoman. She lost to White by eight votes in the November election.

White had objected to Adamczak depleting the ward’s $2 million ARP allocation. Council voted in April 2022 to give each of its seven members $2 million in ARP funds for ward projects.

The largest item that White wants repealed is $1.3 million for the Youngstown Foundation to serve as fiscal agent for a major improvement project at Ipes Kids World to turn it into the city’s first all-inclusive park and the biggest such park in the state.

The two other requests by White to repeal are $52,000 for neighborhood block watch projects and $21,093 for Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana for facility improvements.

White said she will address the reasons behind her requests at Wednesday’s meeting.

“I’m sure other council members will have questions in regard to that,” she said. “I’ll answer those questions at that meeting and give more details.”

Oliver said what White is doing “is short-sighted, immature and personal. I don’t think she has the votes to repeal anything. I don’t see any reason to vote for it. It’s detrimental to the citizens.”

In response, White said, “When he sees the reasonings for that, we’ll take it from there.”

Also Wednesday, council will consider a $60,000 ARP request, sponsored by Brown, to give to United Returning Citizens for administration of its expungement program. The organization helps those released from prison transition into the community.

Council also will vote on a request from Davis to spend $52,000 of her ward’s ARP funds for YNDC to do renovations and improvements to the Beyond Expectations Barber College on Glenwood Avenue.

Davis sponsored legislation that was passed June 21 to give $55,000 to sponsor five students at the barber school. It was repealed Dec. 6 by council after it was determined it would be better used for equipment at the facility.