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YOUNGSTOWN - The city's board of control voted to again make changes to housing programs, funded through the American Rescue Plan, most notably moving $1 million from its Landlord Property Improvement Program to the Residential Facade Program.
The board voted 3-0 Thursday in favor of the transfer. The board's members are Mayor Derrick McDowell, Finance Director Kyle Miasek and Law Director Adam Buente.
DeMaine Kitchen, the community planning and economic development director, said the switch was prompted by "our desire to not have to send the money back. We have been tracking all of our spending and as we get closer to the Dec. 31 deadline, we're looking at where we are spending. The demand for the facade program was really high and the landlord program was trekking along. There's a lot more interest in the residential program. This way, both pots of money can be used up.
The residential program's fund is now increased from $3 million to $4 million while the landlord program's amount was cut from $2 million to $1 million.
The board voted March 26 to make other changes to the two programs, as well as At Home in Youngstown, which has exhausted its $5 million ARP allocation, to raise maximum amounts available and to add more allowable expenses.
The Residential Facade Program provides 1% interest loans of up to $20,000 for five years or a dollar-for-dollar match up to $20,000 to qualifying homeowners in the city to improve and update the exterior of their homes and address any cited or potential code violations.
The Landlord Revolving Loan Fund allows property owners to borrow up to $250,000 at 2% interest for up to five years. The money allows landlords to make renovations, repairs and/or address housing code violations. The program requires landlords to maintain the property for five years and not increase rent to current tenants during the same time frame. A sale would require landlords to repay loans immediately.
Also Thursday, the board voted 3-0 to remove a requirement that a landlord own the property for at least one year before seeking the funding to allow new property owners to participate.
CHANGE ORDERS
The board approved change orders to Parella-Pannunzio Inc. of Youngstown for two different projects.
One project is the completed work to Boardman Street between Walnut and Market streets, and Walnut Street between Commerce and Wood streets.
The ninth and final change order for that project is for $19,290.93.
With the change order, the final cost for the work is $2,878,594.83. The contract award amount was $2,756,473.
The project received $2.1 million in state and federal funds for the project with the rest paid by city dollars.
The work included repaving, reducing vehicular lanes, adding diagonal on-street parking on Walnut Street, new crosswalks and curb ramps, improved lighting, landscaping and new traffic controls.
The other change order approved for Parella-Pannunzio was $60,486 for bus-related work, raising the project's total cost to $294,917.85
This is the project's second change order for a project that was awarded for $224,167 about four months ago.
The latest increase is for additional concrete work that was needed near the Youngstown State University campus, said Charles Shasho, the city's deputy director of public works.
The work is finished, Shasho said.
The project included the installation for three bus shelters off Fifth Avenue, near YSU, and a bus pull-off on Market Street for Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology.
WASTEWATER PROJECT
The board voted to pay $7,652.50 to Jaylyn Powell, a renter at 616 Gibson St. to leave the home as the property is needed as part of a major wastewater improvement project.
Powell will get a $6,000 relocation and early vacancy payment and $1,652.50 in moving costs.
The property will be purchased at a later date from the owner, Shasho said.
The parcel is needed as part of the city's planned $170 million, 80-million-gallon-per-day wet weather facility to improve its wastewater system. The structures in the facility would treat excess combined sewage during heavy rainstorms and then release the water.
The 616 Gibson St. property is needed now because the city is vacating the road for grading and needs to relocate utilities off of that street for the project, Shasho said. The work should start shortly, Shasho said.
The board on July 30 signed a $12,500 agreement to buy the clubhouse of the Afro Dogs Motorcycle Club at 530 Gibson St. for this project.
There are probably five or six other properties that the city has to acquire for the wet weather facility in that area, Shasho said.
The project must be finished by 2030 under a federal consent decree.