YOUNGSTOWN — City council agreed to spend nearly $1.3 million of Youngstown’s American Rescue Plan funds with $800,000 of it to renovate a building on the South Side for a community center.

Council passed the ARP ordinances Wednesday by 6-0 votes with Councilwoman Amber White, I-7th Ward, absent. Council didn’t have enough members attend its May 1 meeting to approve $1,090,500 of the ARP legislation to approve it by emergency measure.

At least six of council’s seven members have to vote for legislation to be approved by emergency.

Since that meeting, legislation to spend an additional $197,600 in ARP funds was introduced.

The most-expensive ARP project approved Wednesday is $800,000, sponsored by Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, to turn the former McDonald’s at 2525 Market St. into a community center.

City council gave $2 million in ARP funds on April 6, 2022, to each of its seven members — $14 million in total — to use for projects in their wards.

Among the other ARP legislation approved Wednesday were $262,500, sponsored by Councilman Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward, to fund improvement work and programs at the Associated Neighborhood Centers’ McGuffey Centre, 1649 Jacobs Road, and $150,000 out of the fund of Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward, to help YMCA Mahoning Valley complete a new affordable housing development at 3 Illinois Ave. in her ward.

Also approved were three ARP funding requests, sponsored by Mayor Jamael Tito Brown.

They were $31,100 for improvements at the Northside Pool’s bathhouse, $28,000 for a small building at the Henry Stambaugh Golf Course and $16,500 for a walkway leading to McKelvey Lake.

The city received $82.8 million in total ARP funds.

Council also approved a $3 million consultant contract for preliminary design work for a wet weather facility as part of a federal wastewater improvement agreement.

The city is fighting the federal government in court over the project and seeking to reduce the scope of the work.

The city is taking the initial step to get the wet weather facility project started as it awaits a federal judge’s decision.

Council agreed Wednesday to increase its planning and design contract with Samantha Yannucci who was initially hired at the beginning of the year for $25,000, but that funding has run out. At the request of the mayor, council agreed to pay her an additional $50,000 through the end of the year.

The city last year sought a planner based on experience and education. It chose not to hire any of the applicants.

Hunter Morrison has had a consultant contract for planning with the city since August 2019. He plans to retire in June.

City officials decided that hiring Yannucci as a consultant rather than one of the candidates who applied for the full-time job was a better fit, said Nikki Posterli, the mayor’s chief of staff and director of the community planning and economic development department.

GAZA CEASE FIRE

For the fifth time in less than four months, council heard from local Palestinians and their supporters calling for a cease-fire resolution in Gaza. Eight people spoke Wednesday.

Suhad Hadi, president of the Arab American Community Center of Youngstown, said she is “disappointed” that council won’t bring a cease-fire resolution to a vote.

Other speakers said they were also disappointed in city council and would continue to call for the resolution.

Local Palestinians and their supporters marched in front of the downtown federal courthouse before the council meeting calling for a cease-fire.

Council has shown no interest in supporting a resolution.

Turner read a letter Wednesday she sent to U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance advocating “for an immediate cease-fire that prioritizes the safety and well-being on all sides. This violence has resulted in tragic loss of life, widespread destruction and profound suffering for innocent civilians.”

The letter added: “You may stand in solidarity with the people of Israel or Gaza. That is your right, but we cannot continue to ignore the cycle of violence and suffering that is affecting the world.”

Asked after the meeting why she doesn’t sponsor a cease-fire resolution by council, Turner said “all of our resolutions come as a whole” of council. “Everybody has to be on board.”

While resolutions are typically sponsored by all of council, it is not unusual for one or a few members or even the mayor to sponsor resolutions.

Hamas, a terrorist group, launched a surprise attack Oct. 7 on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 250 hostages.

Since then, Israel has attacked the Gaza Strip, killing more than 35,000 Palestinians and driven about 80% of Gaza’s population from their homes.

Asked about local Palestinians and their supporters never mentioning the Oct. 7 attack, Turner said: “Sometimes it is hard to hear when you’re not talking about the totality of the situation. But I really understand” that “they’re talking about it from their reality.”

Have an interesting story? Contact David Skolnick by email at dskolnick@vindy.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @dskolnick.