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Published: Saturday, August 11, 2007

Federal St. plan heads back to drawing board

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A final plan should be done by the end of the month.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

CITY HALL REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — City officials will meet next week to discuss what to do with a suddenly controversial project on the western portion of a main downtown street.

At the request of Mayor Jay Williams, Carmen S. Conglose Jr., the city's deputy public works director, will meet with city planners, probably on Monday, to discuss the West Federal Street project.

By the end of next week, city officials will present their suggestions for the project to members of city council and interested parties, Williams said. The mayor expects a final plan to be done by the end of the month.

Numerous people spoke in opposition to the plan at a Monday public meeting. The specific objection to the project revolves around the removal of medians lined with 22 trees on West Federal Street between Fifth Avenue and Phelps Street.

The city originally had wanted to advertise for a contractor for the project next week, but that's been delayed because of the objections, Conglose said.

The project

The $550,000 project, first publicly discussed more than two years ago, calls for:

The removal of the medians and replacing them with smaller ones. There would be space for plants, bushes and perhaps trees in those smaller medians, Conglose said.

Resurfacing the street that hasn't been paved in about two decades.

Changing parking in that area from 42 parallel spots to 66 diagonal spots.

Establishing green space near the parking areas for about 24 trees. The city will consult with a Mill Creek MetroParks arborist to determine what type of trees would best thrive there, Conglose said. The replacement trees wouldn't be saplings, he said.

Making improvements to catch basins and storm sewers in that area.

Replacing electrical conduits under the medians and other utility work. Above-ground outlets, used by the city to light the trees in the medians at night, are in such poor condition that Ohio Edison told the city Aug. 1 the outlets couldn't be used anymore, Conglose said.

The original project didn't include as much green space and had about 100 parking spaces, Conglose said. It was changed in February to include more after meetings with officials from Cityscape, the primary downtown beautification organization, he said.

Surprised by objections

When the project was proposed, the city asked for letters about it. Cityscape members voiced their objections and helped modify the plan, Conglose said.

Believing the matter was settled, Conglose said he was surprised to hear complaints from people — as well as a petition opposing the project signed by about 700 — about the plan.

If there's a way to keep or improve the medians while keeping the proposed new green space and the parking spots, Conglose said he wouldn't object to that. But he says he can't see any way for the medians to remain under those conditions.

"The people who complained hadn't seen the project," Conglose said about Monday's meeting. "The whole thing is crazy. My take on the situation is I've been doing capital projects for 31 years. The only thing on Federal Street that's encouraged business growth in recent history is the project completed in 2004 east of this location."

The city removed a pedestrian mall in December 2004 that closed East and West Federal streets for decades. The move was seen as a key step in the city's downtown revitalization.

Disappointment

The plan was to hire a contractor to do the catch basins, storm sewers and electrical work in September and the other part of the project next spring, Conglose said.

Conglose said he was disappointed that city planning department officials, who attended Monday's public hearing, didn't speak in favor of the project and played no role in the project's design.

Bill D'Avignon, the city's Community Development Agency director who oversees the planning department, said Conglose never asked planners about the project, and Monday's meeting was to receive input from the public and not other city officials.

Finding a compromise may be a problem, however.

After hearing from residents and local business officials, D'Avignon said he's inclined to keep the medians and additional downtown parking doesn't appear to be something needed.

Phil Kidd, a local activist instrumental in objecting to eliminating the medians, said he's pleased that city officials will further discuss the proposal and other options. The long-term goal, Kidd said, is to make sure city officials choose the best options to improve Youngstown.

Saturday, August 11, 2007