sunrise in Beijing with the business-journal

if we're going to build a parking deck, please oh please - let's do it right

from Friday's Business-Journal, on a new parking deck to be potentially constructed downtown along Commerce Street:

"Under the [2010 omnibus] appropriations act, which awaits a Senate vote and approval by the president, the 17th congressional district would receive a total $7.945 million, including $450,000 for the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. to develop a 200-space parking facility to support Phase 4 of the Tech Block downtown. The deck would feature a pedestrian walkway to the $16 million Tech Block project, Ryan said.

Last month, the CIC authorized a financial and engineering feasibility study of a parking deck on the site of a surface lot that now accommodates 255 vehicles. The proposed lot, which could have 600 to 1,000 spaces, would be available for downtown workers and students at Youngstown State University, the CIC said at its November meeting."

In the world of parking decks, there are poorly designed parking decks and well-thought out parking decks.

Youngstown needs a good parking deck . . . with window space for design and limited commercial space on the street level for capacity growth.

Just think, plopping down a monolithic structure with no street interaction effectively creates a dull and lifeless pedestrian zone around the perimeter of the building.

In the space around the perimeter of the structure, there could be spaces for some amenities needed in the downtown neighborhood. For example: a dry cleaning business is needed, in addition to a convenience store or a bodega with basic sundries.

Here are some pictures of what I'm talking about in a recent trip to Baton Rouge:






In a nutshell, we are going to place a parking garage in the downtown which will be in that spot for the next 30 years.

please . . .

Let's do it right and incorporate some long-range planning.

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btw, Baton Rouge also has a Kress Building it is attempting to renovate. Check it out:



word.

volunteers needed for 10th anniversary of First Night Youngstown

would you like a free button to attend all the festivities on December 31st for First Night Youngstown, with $5 dollars off for every one of your family members?

Or just want to help the effort and pitch in?

Volunteers are needed to work three-hour shifts at the event on December 31st. The span volunteers are needed is from 6pm to midnight.

if interested, please call the First Night Offices at (330) 718-6945.

An orientation meeting is planned for December 16th at 6pm if you'd like to come and hear more information. The meeting will be at the First Night offices in the big room (in the City Centre One building) facing Champion Street, that is, the space in between the main entrance of the downtown YMCA and Federal Street.

for some picts and video of First Night two years ago, click here.

I'd like to see this amazing performer there in the years to come:


click here to see an even more impressive performance.

MVHS overview video now online

this video provides a nice overview of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.


you can see more about their efforts to create a new history museum downtown here.

exterior bricks going up on the new YSU business school

construction update:

The exterior bricks are now being applied to the new home of the Williamson College of Business, a 110,000 sq ft (that's huge) LEED certified structure, designed to connect YSU's campus with the core of the downtown.


In the distance, you can see the steeple of the First Presbyterian Church of Youngstown, the oldest church in the Western Reserve.


The church was founded on the first of September 1799, when this part of the world was a claim of the state of Connecticut - over 210 years ago.

To the left, you can see the newly-painted communications tower. At night, the gleaming red letters of YSU really widen the illuminated footprint of downtown.


You can see more pictures of what the exterior and interior will look like here.




To the left of the picture below, you can see the YWCA of Youngstown - also undergoing massive renovation at the moment.


The $8.1 million YMCA project will include 30 housing units and will restore parts on the building back to its 1911 grandeur.

At the base of one side of the building are the massive letters WILLIAMSON.



If what you see here excites you, consider giving to the construction campaign for the building.

Currently a $1.2 million matching grant by the Kresge Foundation is promised - but only if YSU can raise $2.4 million by December 31st.

That's in three weeks!

Click here to find out more concerning the challenge grant.

PaPa's Puerto Rican Diner now open on East Side [near Hubbard]

If you've traveled between downtown Youngstown and Hubbard along Route 62/Route 7 over the past two months, you may have seen the sign for Papa's Diner - now serving Puerto Rican cuisine and good breakfast fare.

Saturday the SY blog had the good fortune to go inside and try out a few of their dishes.

Let's check em out.


located in a brick structure, which seems to include a few additions onto a house (like other local favorites such as the Boulevard and the Golden Dawn), Papa's Diner is open from 8am to 6pm Monday through Saturday, and until 8pm on Fridays.


The highlight of the dishes I tried was the roast pork with rice and beans for just over 7 dollars.

Great cut of tenderloin here:


The chicken pastelillo was a great choice too. Crispy crust, juicy meat, not greasy.


Another nice dish was the steak sauté topped with onions and peppers marinated in vinegar and oil, with four plantains on the side for 6 dollars.


Inside was a nice flat-screen television to watch games and morning shows, with stool seating at the counter and sit-down areas both in front and the cozy room in the back.


A steel mill painting and other great ethnic/religious accents added to the classic Youngstown style.




Due to how great the food and service was, Papa's Diner has been added to our Gems of Youngstown map. Click here for the description, or here for the map itself.


Papa's Diner
open Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm (and till 8pm Friday)
is located at 2104 Hubbard Road in Youngstown
just 200 yards south of the Tod Engine Heritage site
which is worth a visit as well.

congrats to Youngstown Ursuline and Youngstown Mooney for bringing home twin state championships

Two high schools based in the City of Youngstown were crowned State Champions in football on Friday.

Youngstown Ursuline defeated Coldwater 55-25 for its 3rd state championship.

Youngstown Mooney defeated Columbus St. Francis DeSales 35-7 for its 7th state championship.

way to bring it home.



congrats to the families and friends who supported their student athletes.

According to this article in the Youngstown Vindicator, this was the first year two teams from the Mahoning Valley won state football championships in the same year, and it was the first time a local school has won back-to-back titles (Ursuline).

- - -

just as impressive, an Ursuline student was one of 90 high schoolers in the country with a perfect 36 on the ACT exam this year.

Talk about running up a score.

mayor williams on c-span's Washington Journal for the 3rd time this year

At 9am Monday morning, Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams joined the set of C-Span's Washington Journal.

Speaking to a national audience, it was his third appearance in 2009 on the show.


Among the topics discussed:
+ Tuesday's meeting at the U.S. International Trade Commission
+ technology-based employment growth
+ direct foreign investment in Youngstown
+ economic development initiatives with a strong ROI
+ university/city partnerships

and throw in a few phone calls by the diaspora as well...

You can watch the 30 minute clip here:

rust belt chic - exhibit B

If you were located within the city limits on Saturday, you may have heard the sounds of multiple steam-powered train whistles.

To activate the whistles, The Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Association tapped into Youngstown Thermal's underground steam pipes that supply heat throughout the center of the city.

While the tones were better live, you can check out some of the recorded sounds here:



Set between the Mr. Peanut Bridge and the B&O Train Station, the annual Whistle Blow event ties into Youngstown's transportation heritage.

thankful for new blogs to add to our local list

more explorations of Youngstown are blossoming on the blogosphere

from the initial oct 28 post of the blog Ytown and Beyond:

"We all have our opinions, I thought I'd share my experiences growing up in The Great Melting Pot of Youngstown, Ohio.

I used to be embarrassed to tell anyone I was from there. Now, it's like a Badge Of Honor!"

The author is "a Baby Boomer that grew up in the Youngstown, Ohio area wearing many hats in school, business, and life events. My Blog reflects that life and times, hopefully with humor."

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from the Screenwriting in Iowa blog:

"My grandfather earned a Zippo lighter for spending 30 years working at Youngstown Sheet and Tube before he died of a heart attack. I’m sure there are a lot of Zippo lighters floating around Youngstown. What I’ve never seen is movie that captures that era.

So the time is ripe for a son of a son of a steelworker (or a daughter) to rise up and write some screenplays and make some documentaries on the area. Watch Gran Tornio (about Michigan in transition) and Country (about the farm crisis here in Iowa in the 80s) and start adding notes into your idea bank.

That’s what regional screenwriting is all about and there is still some magic to tap into down by Yellow Creek . . . there in Youngstown."

- - -

Finally, Reuters just published a series of stories about Youngstown in their ongoing Route to Recovery series.

It's a decent snapshot of what it's like on the ground in Youngstown:
- dreamers trying to marshal the resources to make an impact
- technology-based businesses succeeding and thriving
- how downtown is the location for future businesses
- real suffering exists due to poverty

tenants moving into Realty Towers

nice video up by the Youngstown Vindicator's Bill Lewis:

more info on the building they moved into here.

the beautiful words of Ed Galaida on Youngstown's Mill Creek Park

Don't you love the smell of really really old books?

The Shout Youngstown blog has acquired a very significant old tome, that being an original printing of Edward Galaida's "Mill Creek Park" from 1941.


on page one of this great historical text, one can find the introductory paragraph from the book's forward.


They are some of the most striking words I've read in print, and the SY blog would like to share them with you.

(editor's note: the original words are in paragraph form, but for spacing purposed have been rearranged below.)

From the placid times of the nomad Indians
to the present age,
Mill Creek Park and its flanking acres
have unendingly offered solace to understanding spirits.

Sounds in the waters,
in the underbrush,
overhead in the firry hemlocks and the shady hardwoods,
frightened silences;

colors of the rising and setting sun;

kaleidoscopic changes from season to season;

smells sweet, strange, exotic, heavy, and delicate;

currents of moving air
that arouse moods and stir deep inexplicable sensations--

these make up, to many nature lovers,
the whole significance of Mill Creek Park.

more pictures here, from Hyland Digital Images.

from senseless, stupid destruction grows subtle arson art

Setting intentional fires to vacant properties is a serious problem in many cities.

In Youngstown recently, two fires set during the month of October destroyed four historical structures on the north side - all within the same block. The concentration of the damage and grandeur of the original homes really upset many people.

The Youngstown Renaissance blog covered the arsons particularly well, complete with before and after photos, in addition to a respectful dialogue in the comments section.

It's appalling that firefighters have to risk their lives put out these arsons, and it's suspicious that private construction firms the next day are leaving messages at city hall to clean up the sites for free (to loot any salvageable remains).

- - -

Earlier in the week came word that some signage was popping up around the arson site on Pennsylvania Ave. I went this morning to investigate what others have been talking about:






No comments here on the signage . . . make your own interpretations.

But, if you have any information on the arsons, contact the numbers on this sign:



Tips to 330.782.0055 and 330.743.2141 can lead to a $5,000 award.

the business-journal launches "daily buzz" video feature

Kudos to the folks at the Business-Journal, as they continue to build value around their news-reporting prowess.

Earlier today, visitors to their website were able to view the premiere episode of Daily Buzz, which may become a welcome addition to your own daily media consumption.

You can watch the premiere in a stand-alone webpage here, just in case the tomorrow's edition is displayed on their homepage before you read this post.

- - -

The Business-Journal seems to be spreading its wings of late, incorporating alternative methods for sharing the news they collect with the region and beyond.

For example, the paper is identified as the local content provider for the new mega-regional NEOtropolis show on pbs.

Add to that their recent three-minute local interviews, and now this daily news and business review, and you have top-shelf hyper-local journalism. (as opposed to stuffing a publication with too many canned AP stories)

- - -

If it seems like this blog is heaping praise today, it's because The Business-Journal deserves it.

This blog has never received payment or gifts for writing on a subject or pushing an event (we've been offered on occasion), nor will the SY blog ever do any form of advertising.

This whole blog thing is a four-year experiment in sharing stories, raising awareness, and unintentionally building trust with an audience.

So when recalling the 4th of the 10 Rules of Living of someone I never had the chance to meet face-to-face, we need to give credit where credit is due:

The Business-Journal delivers outstanding journalistic content every day with high value - and it is a joy to absorb their content, both as an in-print subscriber and an online viewer.

shoutyoungstown is now on twitter

have finally made the jump into Twitter for the first time.

access feed here.

- - -

hopefully the SY blog will be used for more in-depth coverage, and the twitter stuff can be used to pass on fun bits.

for example, this video was posted today on YouTube:



a commercial for an establishment "in the new youngstown"

3 new videos total can be seen on their channel.

required watching - NEOtropolis

episode #1 is up and streaming...

click here to watch the premiere.



Mr. Mulready, I'll be tuning in next week.

NEOtropolis premiers tonight, Friday 9pm, on local PBS stations

how often you do receive a press release announcing a tv show that caters just to you?

well, besides this show:



Tonight at 9pm is the premier of NEOtropolis on Western Reserve Public Media, a weekly show that "focuses exclusively on the business and economy of northeast Ohio. The show will tell the full story of the regional economy, sharing both the challenges and opportunities unfolding in northeast Ohio."

from the press release...

The program is hosted by Thomas Mulready, publisher of CoolCleveland.com. Content partners are Crain’s Cleveland Business and The Business Journal of Youngstown.

“NEOtropolis will offer timely information about the region’s business and economy in a fast-paced yet in-depth format,” said Duilio Mariola, Western Reserve Public Media executive producer. “We want to be a vehicle for dialogue about regionalism for the four major cities in our broadcast area — Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown.”

Can someone DeVo this for me?

Mayor Williams one of eight featured "Public Officials of the Year" by Governing magazine

more of the world is taking notice.

strong leadership
leads to supportive press
leads to inquiries for outside investment
leads to realities like this...

"Now we are thinking in 10-year increments moving forward. When we talk about a technology economy, which would have been laughable five or 10 years ago, having a tech core downtown that attracts some of the best and brightest college students, that pays them $50,000 and $60,000 a year right out of college, while they're able to live in an upscale apartment complex that just opened — these are all things we're going to be talking about for Youngstown in 2010, 2015 and 2020. Downtown Youngstown is once again becoming a destination point for people in the region, whether it's arts or entertainment or culture or business."

and repeat.

story here. interview here.

the death of music cassette tapes, and the birth of ohio casinos

think back to the last time you bought a music cassette tape...

it's been a while, hasn't it?

perhaps now you spend your money on audio CDs, or downloadable files from iTunes.

You may be spending about the same amount of your income on music as you did ten years ago, but the format has changed.

You've shifted spending your cash from Product A to Product B.

- - -

What does this have to do with casinos?

let's consider dining at local restaurants, buying gifts for friends and family, and other personal spending decisions to all be wrapped into Product A.

then let's consider someone's spending at casinos to be Product B.

If casinos are placed into Ohio's four largest cities and downtowns, many many people will be buying Product B. That means fewer dollars and less opportunities to buy Product A.

The result:
when casinos go up ... personal spending on other goods such as tickets to the performing arts, dining and family restaurants, and donations to charity go down. That means the people associated with these components within the community will lose their jobs.

Net community-wide job growth is zero.

This is the fallacy of all the "economic development" claims by those pushing casino growth.

If the total amount of money in a community is not growing because of exports or stays the same, all we are talking about here is shifting money, not gaining money.

And like any modern slot machine, the house always wins over time.

Sure, here and there people may be winners or losers at certain instances pulling the handle, but system and machine is designed in the long run that the casino always walks away with profit.

Say No to Issue 3.

and say no to lies about economic development.

best youngstown halloween costume this year

awesome.



actually, there are some palm trees in the background - so we know it's not the south side.

curiously though, the video is tagged "youngstown ohio"