251 Park Ave...

[jay]

This may be a long shot, but it may be worth trying.  The mayor is supposed to be on the Dan Rivers' talk radio program this morning, September 3.  His appearance may be affected because of the holiday.  If he is on the show, call and ask your question about your attempts to save the house on Park Avenue.
The station is WKBN 570-AM
The show is on from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

[Jaime Hughes]

Tried to get in contact with the Northside Coalition, they don't have a working phone anymore. Mark Peyko has been very very busy with the Metro Monthly. I'm not really sure what the coalition can do for this house? When calling the Mayors office many times the secretary said that she would leave the message with Mayor Williams, she is aware of what is going on, the house and who we are. Yet, after many calls to the office there has been no calls back to us. Were not sure if he is getting the messages, or even if he cares.

[jay]

Jaime,
Did the mayor speak with you or did his office refuse to forward your call to him?

[northside lurker]

I'm still interested, and would try to attend the meeting.

[jay]

Have you ever contacted the North Side Coalition?  In the past, the coalition had been involved with the restoration of several homes.   Maybe the group could offer some constructive advice.

For secutity reasons, the vegetation in front of the house should be removed or cut much lower.  Criminals are more likely to vandalize when they are hidden from the public's view.

[Jaime Hughes]

Yeah, thats the house alright. Corey and I went to visit it the other day only to find that someone again tried to break in and tried to steal the outside water fixtures and kicked the porch wall down. Although when trying to contact the Mayor about it he didnt want to hear about it, and Vansickle is deathly ill and owes a lot of back taxes on the house....so I'm sure that it will go up for forclosure soon. Next week sometime I'd like to set up a meeting where we can all meet and discuss things about this house, other ideas etc etc.


I feel that we should take care of the strong points of the city, and help the weak points. If our strong point is the historical district, I really think that there should be a substantial amount of attention given to it. I mean we are the most affordable historical district.


What does everyone think of a meeting? Maybe just to get some ideas together of some things that people would like to be seen on the Northside?

[jay]

Is this the house?

[Jaime Hughes]

Thank you for that thread Jay, it was very interesting to hear what others had to say about the annoying orange sticker. I too, tried to peel it off of this beautiful house on Park and it left an ugly residue of orange and white. I am currently in the middle of writing the Mayor a letter about this. If he wants crime to go out, he's basically putting up a neon sign saying, "ROB ME! NO ONE LIVES HERE! PLEASE COME IN AND STEAL EVERYTHING THAT I AM!!!" It's a disgrace not only to the historical value of the home, but sheer ignorance on the local Governments part for not thinking of this!

We've attended a few YAEDA meetings, not too many though. It's been really busy lately, I just graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School! Between Graduation, other meetings, we have been attending Thinkers and Drinkers, various meetings involving Youngstown's environmental aspect, our own projects and so on and so forth, it's just been chaos.


Anything you can fill me in on!? We have a meeting with Mr. Hunter Morrison soon on our next project will involve lighting up some historical abandoned buildings, as well as some grass cutting ideas. If you have any other ideas that should be brought up to Mr. Morrison please let me know!!


Corey and I will be at the 251 Park Ave house today doing more work on a garden, the back yard and things of that nature...we will be there most of the evening, probably get there about 3 or 4...I would love to meet all of you! So if you'd like to stop by and see progress and talk to Corey and I we will be there all evening working!!

[jay]

Jaime,

We discussed the orange stickers and the high grass recently.  See the post.
http://mahoningvalley.info/forum/index.php?topic=2516.0
Thank you for cutting that grass.  We need many more young people to care for our community as mush as you.

Off topic
Has your group attended any of the recent YAEDA meetings?

[Jaime Hughes]

I really appriciate that Towntalk!

I didn't need the gratification of people KNOWING that I did that, but I wanted people to know that nothing will get accomplished if you sit and complain. It was funny, a lot of people drove by and asked if that was our house, and we politely said no, and they were baffled about why we were doing that for our community. But what people don't see is that...I LOVE YOUNGSTOWN! I would do anything this fine city, but I don't want to be another public activist who doesn't do anything, I want to get my hands dirty into things that matter in our city! I feel that the cityscape is very important! So there are boarded up houses, it doesnt mean that the trash around them can't be picked up or the grass can't be cut!


Thanks Again!! :-D

[Towntalk]

A VERY LOUD THREE CHEERS, JAIME! You are setting an example that more of us should follow. It's so very easy to just sit around and gripe, while not putting in any sweat equity.

[Jaime Hughes]

Greetings Everyone, I hope all is well with all of you!


I just wanted to vent really quick about a few things. My partner Mr. Maizel and myself were driving past 251 Park Ave, with grass exceeding 10 inches. It was a beautiful stone house covered in ivy, a beautiful house in which I'm sure that the owner was turning in his/her grave...sad.

[Corey] Maizel, and myself decided it needed cut, so later that night him and I went over there with our pushmower, clippers, etc etc...we have before/after picture that I will post ASAP.

Now heres what really gets me fired up, is that they had slapped neon orange signs everywhere saying that the yard was an eyesore to the neighborhood, but what they are failing to do was contact the owner of the house which just so happens to be out of towners...North Carolina to be exact.   


Drive by and see the difference of the house now that the yard is cut, neighbors, people in cars, YSU police were stopping and thanking us for our time put into the house, because it looks so much better with a well groomed lawn.


I wish that there was a way that we can do what CityScape does, you know cleaning up downtown...but incorporate the whole city. I think that people would like to feel like a community, ...well some people, and I think that if we involve them in a whole citywide clean up, that the idea may spread.


I was hoping someone from Mahoningvalley.info would drive by and see us! We were sweating our eyeballs out working so hard! I think that things like that should be aired to the community also, just so they don't give hope that there are nice people like you and I out there, and that our city isn't filled with just violence and killing.