YOUNGSTOWN — City council authorized the board of control to spend up to $295,000 to move ahead with projects on Fifth Avenue and Market Street that were supposed to be done years ago.

Council voted 7-0 Wednesday to permit the allocation for three bus shelters near Youngstown State University on Fifth Avenue that were initially part of a 2019 project and a Market Street bus pull-off that was supposed to be finished no later than 2024.

Bids for the work, which is a combined project, will be opened April 10.

The hold-up with the installation of bus shelters on Fifth Avenue, which dates back to a 2019 project that finished in 2022, is the locations were on state property, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works.

“The work was outside the city right-of-way so we were unable to use federal dollars,” he said. “Over the course of a couple of years, we paid the easements through the state. Now, we’re ready to install those bus shelters.”

The work was part of the SMART2 (Strategic and Sustainable, Medical and Manufacturing, Academic and Arts, Residential and Recreation and Technology and Training) Network program to several city streets, primarily downtown.

The city and its partners were awarded a $10.85 million federal grant Dec. 6, 2018, for the SMART2 work with the rest of the $29 million coming from other federal and state funds as well as dollars and in-kind services from the city and its partners. Those partners include Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, YSU, Mercy Health-Youngstown and the Western Reserve Transit Authority.

Other work was done to Federal, Front, Commerce and South Phelps street and Rayen Avenue.

Every street finished later than scheduled and there were numerous complaints — particularly from business owners on West Federal Street — about the delays and the closings of the streets.

The work included repaving, reducing the number of lanes, widening sidewalks, creating bicycle paths, lighting upgrades, landscaping and pedestrian islands.

As part of the Federal Street project, a bus pull-off was supposed to be installed on the corner of Market Street for Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology.

“We couldn’t come to an agreement with Oh Wow!” until recently, Shasho said.

The bus pull-off will cut into the sidewalk on Market Street near the Mahoning National Bank Building to allow school buses to pick up and drop off children attending the museum.

Councilwoman Amber White, I-7th Ward, asked if there would be an issue with people parking in the pull-off.

Shasho said the city would install signs warning people not to park there, but it could be a concern.

He said: “Parking enforcement downtown has to improve in general. There’s people parking on the plaza that shouldn’t be there, much less a bus stop. It’s an enforcement issue.”

The city discontinued its contract with ABM Parking on enforcement after it removed all of its meters in June 2024.

There is no enforcement of hourly parking in downtown, resulting in workers parking their vehicles for the entire day in spots.

City council again agreed Wednesday to increase the amount for an ongoing project for improvement work to city hall’s second floor.

Council initially approved spending up to $290,000 for the work on March 19, 2025. It was increased to $395,000 on Oct. 15. That came after the low bid for the work of $380,500 from Brock Builders of North Lima was opened June 13.

Council voted 7-0 to increase the maximum cost to $425,587.

The work began in late January/early February and should be finished by mid-April, Shasho said.

The space, which is about 4,000 square feet, has been empty since the clerk of courts moved from there in 2018 to the city hall annex, 9 W. Front St., as part of the relocation of the city court system.

City officials have informally talked for years about what to do with the space before deciding in 2024 to allow the community planning and economic development department to use it.

The department’s office on the fourth floor in the former city prosecutor’s office is about half the size of the space on the second floor.

After the municipal court moved to the annex, a block away from city hall at 26 S. Phelps St., the city had work done on the former courtrooms, also located on the second floor, for the police department.

The project included some partial demolition, new finishes, drywall, improvements to the heating and cooling system, the addition of a bathroom and some individual offices.

Council also voted 7-0 Wednesday to spend up to $122,259 for a new fence on the ballfield at Pemberton Park on the city’s southeast side.

Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward, raised concerns about the money coming from the parks fund when city council had previously allocated $10.5 million from its American Rescue Fund allocation for park improvements.

She voted against allowing council to vote by emergency on the allocation. But after the 6-1 vote to permit it to be approved by emergency measure, Turner joined all other council members in supporting the fence funding.

Also, Councilman Jimmy Hughes, D-2nd Ward, said he hasn’t seen funding for parks in his ward, which includes most of the city’s East Side.

Finance Director Kyle Miasek said when the scope of the improvement work at Pemberton was done, the fence wasn’t included.

Turner asked if there was a way to put this project into the amount allocated for parks, but Shasho said, “We have expended all of the ARP money” for parks.

Clemate Franklin, parks and recreation director, said most of the fence is black chain-linked, which he said is “beautiful and Youngstown deserves it.”

Franklin said several schools will use the ballfield for games with 103 games already scheduled.

Two people, including Carmine Mullins, a young baseball player, spoke to council in favor of funding the fence.