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Youngstown City Council approves $1.5 million for safe campus architect
The city of Youngstown is one step closer to developing a security services building that will consolidate the police and fire departments into a new, state-of-the-art facility.
The Youngstown Police Department is located on W. Boardman Street and was built in 1930. Youngstown Fire Department Station One is located on MLK Avenue. Built in 1956.
While the project has not yet been approved, the Youngstown City Council did move forward with the project architect during Tuesday’s special council meeting.
While some council members were unsure about the cost and location, the decision to start was ultimately voted unanimously.
The city is using American Rescue Plan funds for architectural design services for a proposed security campus that could be built on the North Side in the coming years.
“In order for us to do modern policing, we need a better building than the one we have,” said Councilman and former Police Chief Jimmy Hughes. “I know there’s a need.”
Although the project had a price tag of more than $30 million, the council unanimously agreed to spend $1.5 million on architect fees. The initial $3 million was too high for council members, including Anita Davis and Pat Kelly. That’s why the language was modified to cut the architectural cost in half.
“We think this is too high for architectural research,” Davis said. “Getting the community’s input is important. The government has never asked the public what they think of the proposal to move our security services out of downtown Youngstown. It affects everyone’s lives.”
Davis, a retired Youngstown police officer, said the police and fire departments were initially placed in the downtown area because it was equidistant from homes in the city. She worries that if the security campus is not centralized, response times will be affected.
“At the beginning of the shift, every police car departs from downtown Youngstown,” said Column. “Posing officers on the North Side doesn’t make the rest of town equally accessible.” This might be a hindrance for me. I absolutely don’t. I can’t imagine anyone could convince me otherwise, nor do I think it would move the housing market forward. Ask anyone in the real estate industry. No one wants to hear lights and sirens all night long. “
“I think we have something [estimated] It was estimated to cost $30 million, but some people wanted to shorten the design,” Hughes said. “If we had held on to the whole project, it would never have happened. We’re going to have to have some back and forth this year.”
The project has yet to receive formal approval from the Youngstown City Council.
“We’re going to destroy the police department no matter what,” Davis said. “That’s the footprint we’ve established, so look at that location and put a new smaller, more modern police department there.”
“As long as they explain why it’s there and what they’ve done to exclude other areas, that’s all I care about,” Hughes said. “Have you considered East End?”
Councilor Julius Oliver believes building a campus on the North Side could be a catalyst for further development. Councilwoman Amber White told 21 News she would be happy to vote for the ordinance once the $3 million price tag is cut in half.
The city has not yet hired an architecture firm, but Strollo Architects conducted an initial evaluation of the proposal.
The council will vote on the plans in the coming months, giving the green light for construction to begin. Once approved, construction is expected to take approximately 2 years.
The council also voted to increase funding for the 20 Federal Plaza demolition and rehabilitation project to $7,650,000.
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