![]() The city has received money from a number of sources toward the blight remediation this year, including the state budget, county commissioners, Heritage Thermal and $114,000 the mayor raised from local residents, foundations and businesses. Tim Ginter, noting the city will be going after 400 abandoned homes. He cited partnerships with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC), the Columbiana County Land Reutilization Corporation (commonly known as the land bank), Columbiana County Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino, Columbiana County Treasurer Bryan Blakeman, the Columbiana County Commissioners and state Sen. He said the city is using grant money, not city tax dollars, on these programs.Įarlier this month, city council gave final approval for a new chapter in the ordinances, dealing with housing code, a move that Bricker said gives more teeth to the housing department and more ability to go after bad property owners.ĭealing with the housing blight and abandoned homes was the number one goal when he came into office. “We’re trying to reduce the number of vacancies,” he said. The city has been working with Towne Center Associates on the downtown, with Bricker noting that 13 buildings have changed hands, saying “to me that’s a seismic shift.” He said “the right owners are buying the buildings who have the capital and the wherewithal to save them.” He also said close to 15 new businesses are in the city in the downtown area. Plans call for a mixed-use four-story facility with apartments on the upper floors, offices on the second floor and retail on the first floor. Work is also being done to submit an application to the JobsOhio Vibrant Community Program. A pre-application for a grant has been submitted, with the final submission coming due. The city received $100,000 from county commissioners for the program and the city will contribute $80,000, all from ARPA money.Ĭity council also approved legislation for the mayor to enter an agreement between the city and CIC for the Thompson Building Restoration Project, aimed at renovating the historic structure located on the Diamond. The program will provide matching funds to building owners who want to make improvements to their downtown building facades. A $925,000 grant has already been awarded by the Ohio Department of Transportation and there’s a potential for another $1 million from federal earmarks.Ĭity council this summer authorized the mayor to enter a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Community Improvement Corporation for the Facade Loan Program, using funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. A feasibility study was done late last year for a bike trail that would start at the downtown Diamond and move along the river to the Pennsylvania border, a distance of more than 4.5 miles. ![]() He’s also excited about the East Liverpool Riverfront Trail Project. “Amazing to see so many organizations and individuals coming together for the betterment of the city,” he said. The umbrellas along Dawson Way sponsored by the East Liverpool Calcutta Area Garden Club provide a colorful shady spot where shoppers in the downtown can relax.īricker also mentioned all the successful events in the downtown, including First Fridays sponsored by the East Liverpool Community Partnership for Revitalization. The downtown already has some features to catch the eye, such as the murals near Giant Eagle and the one being painted on the Broadway overpass with the columns in Fiesta Ware colors and the word East Liverpool in Potter blue. He also said they need to make the area more boat friendly, have more events and added “we’re actually trying to get some pickle ball courts in downtown.” ![]() “The vision is some sort of amphitheater to draw more people down there and make it a more usable space,” Bricker said.
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