B E L L A M Y’s note to Mahoning Valley Historical Society "Insane Demolition"

[Frank Bellamy, MAP Masters of Applied Politics]

Dear Mr. Bellamy,
Thank you for your concerned message regarding the wholesale demolition of the historic housing stock in the city of Youngstown.  I agree with you that many of the homes being demolished are of a quality and historical character that will never again be duplicated in the area.  However, there are many factors at work against the older neighborhoods in the City, with the following being just a few examples: 

The housing stock and infrastructure of Youngstown was originally built to accommodate more than twice the population that now resides in the City
There is a process going on in the neighborhoods whereby houses are systematically abandoned, stripped of valuable fixtures and metal building materials, vandalized, and then deliberately burned by arsonists or demolished by the city
The City of Youngstown does not have adequate resources to enforce all housing code violations
The City of Youngstown has no existent plan or resources to target specific neighborhoods for preservation through direct intervention to stabilize and rehabilitate abandoned homes
The Mahoning Valley Historical Society currently has all of its human and financial resources involved in maintaining our museum and archives buildings at 648 Wick Avenue, our numerous educational programs and our extensive collections of historical materials, and therefore cannot intervene directly in saving historic buildings and neighborhoods in the City of Youngstown.  MVHS, however, is certainly an advocate for historic preservation in the region we serve.
Ultimately, the problem begins with the thousands of property owners in the City who choose to abandon their homes and land, ignore housing code citations and refuse to pay their property taxes, and it will not end until this situation is remedied.

I'm sorry that I can't offer you any more of a solution to this problem.  I hope that you will also take the time to address this issue with Mayor Williams' office and the members of Youngstown City Council.

Thank you again for your interest in local preservation.

Sincerely,

H. William Lawson, Executive Director
The Mahoning Valley Historical Society
648 Wick AvenueYoungstown, OH  44502-1289
www.mahoninghistory.org
330-743-2589

[Frank Bellamy, MAP Masters of Applied Politics]

B E L L A M Y's note to the Mahoning Valley Historical Society

Why is your office allowing the continued insane demolition of so many Youngstown City Historic Homes?  This act should be considered a sin.   We have witnessed the ignorant demolition of many sturdy Brick and Frame Homes in Youngstown and many of these homes had historic qualities and were livable. 

This action alone will forever "Devalue" city real estate. Why is your office not involved and seeking to stop this criminal act?

It's cheaper to secure or board-up the home...the cost for demolition comes directly out of the pockets of Tax Payers the property owners will never pay for this needless act.