YOUNGSTOWN — Despite three members of city council criticizing or objecting to how $5.97 million in American Rescue Plan funds will be spent on improvements to parks, the five ordinances related to that spending unanimously passed with 7-0 votes.

Council members Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward, Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward, and independent 7th Ward Councilwoman Amber White, said during Wednesday’s meeting they had issues with the legislation. Hughes asked for separate votes on three of the ARP park projects while Turner said, “I can’t say OK” to the proposals because she didn’t have details.

White specifically objected to a plan in Lynn Park in her ward that expands basketball courts and doesn’t include a pickleball court. She said she was speaking for residents near the park who have expressed those concerns.

The funding approved by council is a majority of the $10.5 million ARP parks allocation it authorized in June 2022.

White said she voted for the Lynn Park proposal because the administration agreed to meet with her to discuss changes to that plan.

Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works, said there is a general plan for the park projects, but changes could be made.

The Lynn Park issue led to a heated discussion between White and Clemate Franklin, the parks and recreation director.

Franklin said he’s read comments on Facebook that expanding the basketball court at the park from half court to full court wasn’t welcomed in that neighborhood because the older white residents don’t want black people there.

He also said there were racist remarks on Facebook about the situation as “it brings the wrong crowd.” Also, Franklin said he’s heard references to Ipe Field, which is also in White’s ward, as “ape field” if blacks are allowed there.

White said, “Your ignorance shows your mentality,” and that anyone could post anything on Facebook and it doesn’t represent those in her ward.

The biggest expenditures for parks approved by council were to spend $1.75 million to improve Borts Field, Wick Park and the Eugenia Atkinson Recreation Center, and another to spend $1.5 million for work at the Roy Street Park and the West End Field.

The other projects are $1.3 million for Lynn Park and Falls Park, $980,000 for Crandall Park and the Princeton-Market green-space project, and $440,000 for Homestead Park.

Hughes called for separate votes on three of the ordinances to point out that none of the parks being improved are in his ward.

Shasho said another proposal coming shortly to council calls for improvements to the East Side, which Hughes represents.

Turner said she wanted details of each of the proposals for the parks before she could vote for the legislation. But she voted for all of the ordinances Wednesday.

BOTTOM DOLLAR

Council voted to authorize the board of control to spend $1.5 million in ARP funds to rehabilitate and redevelop the long-closed Bottom Dollar grocery store on the South Side.

The building at 2649 Glenwood Ave. has been vacant since Bottom Dollar was sold in January 2015 and shuttered.

The Village of Healing, a Euclid-based agency, will be the 18,000-square-foot building’s main tenant, using about 8,000 square feet.

The agency will open an infant mortality clinic.

ACTION (Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods) announced in November it plans to expand its mobile market’s presence at the location and hoped to open a marketplace at the end of this year.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said about ACTION, “There are many opportunities that are still there. This is the first piece. We’re going to have multiple tenants. No one went away.”

Brown said he would like to see a grocery store there, but that isn’t likely. He also mentioned a laundromat, a pharmacy and a bank at that location.

The city received $82.7 million in ARP funds that have to be allocated by the end of the year.

Finance Director Kyle Miasek said there are still a few hundred thousand dollars not dedicated. He’ll have an exact figure in a few weeks.

If that money isn’t allocated and approved by the board of control by the end of the year, Miasek said it would be moved to water and / or wastewater projects.

One of those potential projects, Shasho said, is a $19.8 million interceptor sewer replacement project. Council voted Wednesday to permit the board of control to hire a contractor for it.

Shasho said about $8 million of the project’s cost is covered through state and federal grant funding with the rest borrowed from the state.

The project would replace about 10,800 feet of 48-inch and 60-inch sewer lines along the Mahoning River from Division Street to West Avenue.

OTHER BUSINESS

Council also agreed to authorize the board of control to enter into a contract to make improvements around the former Realty Tower site.

The work, estimated to cost $540,000, is on Market Street in front of the Realty site and on East Federal Street between Market and Champion streets.

The project includes repairing the roads, sidewalks, utilities, landscaping and work to some adjacent structures.

Realty was a 13-story downtown building heavily damaged in a May 28 gas explosion and subsequently demolished,

When council next meets, scheduled for Nov. 20, it will be back in its chambers on the sixth floor of city hall.

Council hasn’t met there since fire Chief Barry Finley issued an emergency order March 9, 2023, that because of structural problems, the city hall fire escape wasn’t safe.

City hall has remained open, but it was decided that because too many people attend council meetings, it would be dangerous to hold them on the sixth floor. The building’s elevators shut down when there’s a fire leaving only a stairwell to leave if there’s an emergency.

The fire escape work, which cost about $1.4 million, is finished, Shasho said.