YOUNGSTOWN — City council is expected to consider legislation Wednesday to have the board of control authorize agreements with the Ohio Department of Transportation on three improvement projects with most of the funding coming from state and federal grants.

The three projects are estimated to cost a combined $5.8 million. State and federal funding will cover $5.03 million, about 86% of the cost.

“We try to leverage funds and combine funding sources to mitigate our local costs,” Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works, said.

The Local Participating Agency agreements are required to get state funding, and state that the city agrees to abide by ODOT rules, Shasho said.

The most expensive project is estimated to cost $2.9 million and will upgrade 14 signal lights on Market Street and four on Indianola Avenue, including the removal of unwarranted signals, coordinating the lights, new curb ramps and pedestrian signals.

The federal government is providing $2.3 million toward the project’s cost with the city paying $591,750.

This project likely will be done in 2026, Shasho said.

The two other projects will start next year, he said.

An estimated $2.8 million project will reduce lanes on Walnut Street from Front to Commerce streets and on Boardman Street from Walnut to Market streets as well as paving, streetscape work, lighting upgrades, adding greenspace and a pedestrian stairway on Walnut Street from Commerce to Wood streets.

The city is receiving $300,000 in federal funds and of the $2.5 million the city is expected to spend, the state is reimbursing $1.3 million.

The other project is the $1.1 million rehabilitation of the South Avenue Bridge over the Youngstown and Southeastern Railroad Co. train line.

The federal government is providing $1.06 million of the project’s cost with the city paying $55,900.

During construction, the section of South Avenue on and near the bridge will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians with a 3-mile long detour for vehicles and a pedestrian detour of 0.7 of a mile.

The work includes rehabilitating the bridge’s substructure, refacing the abutments, replacing the approach slabs, which connect the road pavement and the bridge, as well as the guardrails, sidewalks, bridge railings, curbs and pavement markings.

Also Wednesday, before council should be an ordinance to use $351,633 of American Rescue Plan funding for an engineering study to upgrade the Webb Road pump station.

The improvements to the station are needed before repair work can be done to the 48-inch main waterline that supplies the site, which distributes water to most of Austintown and Canfield townships, Water Commissioner Harry L. Johnson III said.

The waterline has a 40-year useful lifespan. It is 52 years old.

The plan is to add two pumps to the station to allow it to continue to operate while the waterline is replaced, Johnson said.

“The line is compromised, and we have to do this work because there’s no way for us to shut that station down to repair the main,” Johnson said. “We’re looking to expand the station. We need to repair the main. It’s something we need to do as soon as possible.”

OTHER

LEGISLATION

City council could vote Wednesday on designating 34.4 acres downtown as a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area to permit restaurants and bars there to sell alcoholic beverages for outdoor consumption.

The proposed DORA location would include nearly all of downtown, including the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre.

Council also could consider approving a $400,000 ARP appropriation from Councilman Julius Oliver’s 1st Ward fund, to create the Youngstown Restoration & Opportunity Center (YoROC). The center would seek to help city residents who are unemployed or underemployed with focuses on health care and the culinary arts.

In addition, there is legislation to permit the board of control to enter into a job creation grant agreement with P&S Wholesale Baking Co.

The business would get about $98,400 in income tax refunds over three years in exchange for the commercial baking company adding 40 jobs.

P&S is adding a second shift.

Under the proposed agreement, P&S would get a 100% rebate on the 2.75% income tax paid by new employees in the first year, which would be 2026. The rebate would drop to 75% in the second year and then to 50% in the third and final year.