Answers Mr. Swierz

[Towntalk]

You have John, and I thank you very much for your patience.

As I said, I don't fault you because I'm well aware of the massive pile of red tape the Feds throw out and the hoops that have to be jumped through not to mention the mountain of paperwork.

What frosts my hide is how some Congressmen can manage to circumvent all the red tape and get millions of dollars dropped in their lap for projects that they don't really need. (John Mertha D-Pa being an example) while others get the short end of the stick.

I wish you nothing but the best because I know that you have the best interests of the city at heart.

[john r. swierz]

         First I will address the the Fire Dept.: There is $221 million in stimulus monies to build new fire stations. Fire Chief O'Neil had requested $3 million for 3 new stations. The actual grant application will not be available until the end of May.  It will be several months after that before we would know the outcome.

The courts could have probably already been in the City Hall Annex building but they bulked at the idea that was put out the 10 years ago. I will easily house all court related offices and divisions. It will not be
able to also house the Police Dept. A new Police station could be build next to the annex with a sky walk connecting the 3rd floors.  The new station would have holding cells for prisoners going to trail

Yes the old station could be used for some city offices and a repository for all city records and other documents that are required to be saved.I hope I have answered your questions.

[Towntalk]

Federal stimulus dollars drip slowly into Valley

http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/may/12/federal-stimulus-dollars-drip-slowly-into-valley/

[john r. swierz]

       I will respond but it will have to be tomorrow.

[Towntalk]

I wish him well, there is no question about new facilities for the Municipal Court, and hope that he puts Ryans feet to the fire until we get it.

Also, Mr. Swierz, and you would be an expert on this, what are the needs of the Fire Department?

As you also know the Police Department is in need of a new Police Headquarters. Could that be combined with a new Municipal Court building?

Some have suggested converting the City Hall Annex into a combination Courthouse and Police Station, but is the building suitable for such use?

If the Municipal Court and Police Headquarters were moved to a new location could the old Police Station be used for other city offices or would the costs be such that it would be out of the question. Also if the Police Headquarters is moved, would the new location have to have holding cells beyond what would be needed by the Municipal Court assuming they were in the same building?

Finally, how much space does the old city jail take up, and could it be removed from the building without damaging the rest of the Police Station?

There is a lot here, but I sincerely hope that you can kindly respond.

Thanks and have a very nice day.

[john r. swierz]

    Let it be known that not one city official was happy with the initial $2.7 million of NSP monies and then none in the second round from the State controlled NSP monies, but other money came from transportation funds.  No the Federal Courthouses funds were not included.  Again, Williams is lobbying Ryan for money for our courthouse.

[Towntalk]

That's good enough John.

After reading the article, it raised red flags about how Youngstown would fair given past history. Remember the Hubbard Express matter, and various other ways in which Columbus and Washington gave Youngstown the shaft?

Also, are you including the new heating system for the two Federal Courthouses?

You well know that Youngstown is in need of new facilities for the Municipal Court. What's the chances of twisting Ryan's neck to get funding for such a facility?

[john r. swierz]

       That sure is a big request! Since I am still a one finger typist, here is my answer. Call me at 330 7885114(H) or 330 5031363(C) for the long version.  The quick version is ! The Williams administration is very aggressive in going after Federal and State funding. We have received between 20-30 million dollars to date.

[Towntalk]

Councilman  Swierz

What if anything has the city of Youngstown been doing to obtain Federal stimulus funding?

[1] What type of funding?

[2] How much?

[3] What is the status of the applications?

[4] How much co-operation are you getting from Congressman Ryan and our state legislators?

There are reports coming out in the mainstream media that communities with high unemployment are not getting the help they were promised by the Obama administration while communities with low unemployment are getting millions of dollars.

"Counties suffering the most from job losses stand to receive the least help from President Barack Obama's plan to spend billions of stimulus dollars on roads and bridges, an Associated Press analysis has found.
Although the intent of the money is to put people back to work, AP's review of more than 5,500 planned transportation projects nationwide reveals that states are planning to spend the stimulus in communities where jobless rates are already lower."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5guNAb2By3sueeeMXl9bWidVIwh1wD983T6D00

Given the substance of the above article, I have little confidence in Youngstown's getting the help we need.

Please don't think I'm blaming you, because this is a problem not of your making.