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Committee Hears Paramount Update, Sign Requests
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Work at the site of the former Paramount Theater downtown should be competed pretty much on schedule, toward the end of the month, the city’s chief engineer told members of the Design Review Committee.
In March, the city awarded a contract to Baumann Enterprises Inc. of Cleveland for demolition and abatement work at the site of the long-vacant theater after efforts to retain the building’s façade proved unsuccessful. The site is being converted to a parking lot with landscaped patio space toward the front of the lot, along West Federal Street.
“The demolition is complete. The debris has been removed and we’re concentrating on backfilling efforts right now,” said Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works for the city. The parking lot will be put in place shortly after compacting work is finished, and that should be completed by the end of September, he said. Work also will be done to reinforce the basements of adjacent buildings, “typical stuff when you’re demolishing next to an existing structure,” he said.
The status of the Paramount site came up during an informal discussion that took place during the committee’s monthly meeting Tuesday. Committee members approved applications including signs requests from the Youngstown Business Incubator and for a new Hot Head Burrito restaurant opening on the campus of Youngstown State University.
YBI’s director of development, Colleen Kelly, appeared before the committee to request permission to hang a 12-foot-by-40-foot vinyl sign on the east side of the main YBI building downtown. The sign will acknowledge YBI’s recent ranking by the University Business Incubator Index, a research initiative based in Stockholm, as 11th among the 30 best university-affiliated incubators in the world.
The sign will be similar to one hanging from the Ohio One Building that acknowledges Youngstown’s ranking by Entrepreneur Magazine four years ago as one of the best places to start a business.
“We’re letting the community know that we’re here, we’re a viable part of [the area’s] economic development and we’re just really proud of our accomplishment,” Kelly said.
YBI has raised $1.7 million toward the $2.5 million goal it set for tis capital campaign earlier this year, with another $600,000 in “asks” out, “so we’re pretty close to our goal,” Kelly said.
The committee also approved a request by John Gnat, president of Mahoning Lighting and Maintenance Co. in Warren, to install new signage at the 315 Elm St. site of a proposed Hot Head Burrito restaurant. The site is owned by YSU and the restaurant will be operated by Pamela VonBergen, who owns and operates Subway restaurants downtown and near the YSU campus.
Greg Morgione, an attorney with YSU, said details of the lease have been negotiated and he is waiting for the final lease to come back from Columbus.
The committee also approved a request by American Farms Produce II to construct an 8-foot-high concrete block fence topped with razor wire around its facility. The business, based at 87 Brooklyn Ave., has been plagued by thefts and vandalism, said Chris Herubin, company president.
“This year it’s been really bad,” he remarked. He put losses during one week about two months ago at $7,000.
Additionally, the committee approved requests by the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley to install a thermometer sign downtown to display the status of its upcoming annual fundraising campaign, which begins Friday, and a request by the LiquidBlu nightclub to use tripod-mounted decorative LED lights outside its West Federal Street building from 10 p.m. until closing. The nightclub would use the lighting Friday and Saturday nights, said Scott Duka, an attorney representing the owners.
The committee tabled a request by FightChannel LLC to install three LED signs and two awnings at its building at 2930 Market St. FightChannel is seeking façade money through the Youngstown Initiative program. The committee deferred action on the request until the company’s owner, who was represented by an accountant at Tuesday’s meeting, can appear personally to respond to questions regarding existing signage at the building and the requested signage.
The business has signs up now that don’t conform to what had been requested, said Ray DeCarlo, city zoning specialist.
The committee also needs to meet with the owners of the Knox Building -- formerly the Lemon Grove -- regarding changes made to its sign without approval of the committee, DeCarlo said. “They need to get approval for those,” he said. The building’s owner, George Lanahan, is back in town and “will be taking a more active role” in running the building, he said.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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