YOUNGSTOWN – City council agreed to spend $210,000 on an upgrade of its chambers and caucus room with the cost coming from Youngstown’s American Rescue Plan allocation.

The initial amount for the improvements of $55,340 was included in council’s initial agenda with Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, calling for it to be increased to $210,000. The amended amount was approved 7-0 by the legislators at Wednesday’s meeting.

The improvements include a new audio-visual system that will allow city council to broadcast its meetings on the city’s YouTube channel as well as electrical work, said Rick Deak, the city’s chief information officer.

“The technology, we saw a need for that during COVID,” said Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th Ward.

The city sought proposals for the work with two companies turning it down, saying the initial $55,340 amount was too low, Deak said. The contract will go to a third company, Forty Two Inc., a production and technology services system based in Youngstown, he said.

Deak said Forty Two also determined that $55,340 wasn’t enough to properly do the job and the city agreed to increase the price.

The system will have an autofocus feature with a wide-angle camera that will go to a council member when that person speaks, Deak said.

The new system will be installed sometime during the first quarter of next year, he said.

Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward, said in March that she wanted to spend up to $2 million in ARP funding to improve council chambers and the caucus room. But other members said that was too much, with Ray and Davis saying $500,000 was appropriate. That was reduced to $210,000 with Wednesday’s vote.

City council hasn’t met in its chambers since March 1, 2023. Eight days later, fire Chief Barry Finley ruled the city hall fire escape to be structurally unsafe and closed it down.

While city hall remained open, council hasn’t met on the sixth floor because of limited ways to leave in case of a fire without a functioning fire escape.

The fire escape was replaced for about $1.4 million in September. But city hall still cannot pass an inspection by the fire department because of issues with the interior and exterior of the building that connects to the fire escape.

Council met Wednesday at the Covelli Centre, where it has held most of its meetings for nearly two years.

It isn’t known when council will return to its chambers though Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works, has said he expects it to be soon.

Council voted Wednesday in favor of other ARP appropriations, all sponsored by Davis.

That includes $20,000 to rehabilitate and improve the Princeton-Market Street green space project, $20,000 for the Glenwood corridor business assistance project and to increase the cost to renovate 2525 Market St., a former McDonald’s restaurant, into a community center, from $800,000 to $825,000.

However, the board of control has a request on its agenda today to pay $919,000 to the Murphy Contracting Co. of Youngstown for that work. Shasho said the contract will be awarded today, but the scope of the project will then be reduced.

Also Wednesday, council voted to commit $1.35 million in four annual payments, starting next month, toward the Youngstown Business Incubator’s effort to secure $26 million in state funding to create an innovation hub for aerospace and defense that would be housed at the former Youngstown Vindicator building downtown.

YBI is awaiting word on whether it is getting the state funding.

It needed a local match of $4.3 million and secured $11 million, said Barb Ewing, YBI’s CEO.

The initiative’s impact would be $191.7 million over four years with the creation of 271 new jobs, with average projected annual salaries of $81,806, as well as adding 481 indirect jobs, Ewing said.

Council voted Wednesday in favor of legislation to appropriate $301,000 from the city’s demolition fund to remediate and demolish the former South Fieldhouse.

City council agreed to use $38,817 as part of its local share to receive a $225,138 state grant for the project. The city’s money will go toward planning, inspection and construction administrative services. It will later consider additional funding for demolition, Shasho said.

The site is to be sold to the Valley Legends Stadium Consortium, part of Valley Christian Schools. The consortium plans to spend $9 million to construct a 3,000-seat stadium with a turf football field and track in two phases. It is working to raise the money for the project.

FINLEY INVESTIGATION

Meanwhile, Law Director Lori Shells Simmons told The Vindicator that she concluded her investigation Wednesday into racial remarks Finley made toward two union officials Sept. 6.

A report with recommendations was given to Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, but Shells Simmons said, “We’re not done. We’ve got to mull through it and figure out our next steps. It’s not completed yet.”

A statement from the city could be released as soon as today or Friday.

Brown would determine if there would be any disciplinary action taken against Finley.

Brown told The Vindicator on Oct. 10 that the white union officials — President Jon Racco and Vice President Jordan Thomas — don’t recognize that they are being racist toward Finley, who is black.

Finley admitted in his statement in a previous investigation by Deputy Law Director Lou D’Apolito, who finished a report Oct. 4, that he loudly told Racco and Thomas, “I am so tired of you white boys constantly coming after me for no reason and it just never stops” and when Thomas said he wasn’t a racist, Finley said he responded, “in a loud voice, ‘you know who always says that, a racist.'”

Thomas and Racco in their statements wrote that Finley used profane language when referring to them and that the chief stood up and threatened to physically harm Thomas.