Correspondent photo / Sean Barron Nick Matos, who teaches a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics course at the Lowellville K-12 School, center, shows a project his students conducted to those who attended a Good Morning, Campbell, Struthers and Lowellville breakfast and program Thursday at the Collingwood Center in Campbell. Also pictured are Lowellville Schools Superintendent Christine Sawicki, left, and Jeff Collingwood, who co-owns the center.

CAMPBELL — Lowellville Mayor Jim Iudiciani is happy that a major dam has been removed, which he’s convinced will allow further growth, interest and economic development to flow into his community.

‘I hope it’s done by May,” Iudiciani said, referring to a project related to Riverfront Park that, upon being finished, will see the park fully completed.

Since the Mahoning River Dam was removed and the park, which also includes a canoe launch, opened about four years ago, the area has been continuing to thrive. Interest in the village also has grown, he said.

The mayor painted a bright and promising picture of the village of about 1,000 for 50 or 60 community leaders and others who attended a Good Morning, Campbell, Struthers and Lowellville breakfast and program Thursday morning at the Collingwood Center, 633 Porter Ave.

The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber and CASTLO hosted the gathering, which provided an opportunity for the three communities’ mayors and school superintendents to give oral reports on progress, plans and directions they see their communities have made or are making.

Since the dam was removed in 2021, two others have been demolished — one each in Struthers and Warren, with demolition of a third in Leavittsburg underway.

Funding for the Riverfront Park project, estimated at more than $4 million, came largely from a variety of grants, including $963,000 from the Governor’s Office of Appalachia and American Rescue Plan dollars, Iudiciani noted.

CAMPBELL

“We’ve been tightening our belt the last few years,” Campbell Mayor Bill Valentino said in praise of the late Mayor Bryan K. Tedesco and city council for their work in allowing the city of nearly 8,000 to operate financially in the black.

In addition, Roosevelt Park is seeing continued improvements that include making the baseball fields tournament-ready. Plans also are to have those competitions centered around other events such as the annual City Fest, Valentino said, adding that the interior of the nearby community center is being painted.

Another effort includes city officials working with the Ohio Department of Transportation to pave Coitsville Road and Tenney Avenue, the mayor said. He added that Campbell also has two new salt trucks, with a third one on the way.

“Everything is on the right cylinders,” Valentino said.

STRUTHERS

Struthers’ downtown corridor may look “like a bomb went off,” but construction aimed at revitalizing the area continues, Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller said. She added that plans also include building a new library near the entrance to Yellow Creek Park.

A recent boon to the city’s general fund has been about $307,000 in tax revenue it received earlier this month from recreational marijuana sales at Green Leaf Therapy Dispensary on South Bridge Street, the mayor noted.

Seven Mahoning Valley communities received about $1.5 million in the initial round of funding. Struthers was among the top recipients, Cercone Miller said.

Other projects include the construction of a home associated with the Dylan’s House organization that is being built on Judith Lane, new signage that will be installed downtown and plans for a music festival around Memorial Day in Mauthe Park with several bands, she said.

The nonprofit Dylan’s House is committed to enriching the lives of and empowering those on the autism spectrum via offering quality homes as well as support for caregivers.

The mayor also expressed condolences regarding the July 24 death of Robert “Bob” Benson, 66, who served as the city’s safety service director. Since 1998, Benson had held several other positions in the city, according to his obituary.

SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS

Lowellville schools Superintendent Christine Sawicki discussed a new Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) program that was launched in the Lowellville K-12 School. The class is another in a series of efforts to offer expanded services, pathways and opportunities to students, especially those in kindergarten through grade six, she said.

A new construction class in Struthers High School has seen considerable growth in the past several years, and more opportunities in robotics as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are available, Superintendent Pete Pirone said.

Mike Donatelli, who teaches the construction class, said he hopes to build a separate area for the class.

Campbell Schools Superintendent Matt Bowen was unable to attend Thursday’s breakfast, so Kristen Fox, the newest Struthers school board member who’s also the Northeast Ohio Impact Academy’s principal, provided an update. Specifically, she noted that digital and podcast studios are to be constructed and likely will open by August for anyone in Ohio.

“It’s exciting to continue to watch us grow,” she said.

The large swath of specialized programs in the three schools serves a vital need, because it’s highly important that more people will be trained to work in the trades industries to continue to make the Mahoning Valley strong, and to build additional connections, Jeff Collingwood, who runs the center, said. It’s possible an acute shortage of plumbers nationwide will occur over the next 10 years, he added.