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'It's a Great Morning in Youngstown, Ohio'"
By George NelsonYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Mayor George McKelvey couldn't help but be encouraged that the sun broke through the cloudy morning to shine on groundbreaking ceremonies for the long-awaited convocation center."That has to be a good omen," he reflected following the ground-breaking attending by local officials and representatives of Global Crossing Corp., the project developer."It's better than a good morning -- it's a great morning in Youngstown, Ohio," McKelvey told the crowd gathered for the ceremony this morning before introducing Rev. Kenneth Simon of New Bethel Baptist Church for the invocation. During the prayer, Simon expressed the hope that the groundbreaking would mark "the beginning of new things for the city and our community -- a new spirit, a new direction and a new atmosphere." He also prayed that "as we break ground today ... we will be breaking up all the negative forces that have kept our city from prospering." Following the presentation of colors by Air Force reservists, recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner," McKelvey brought local officials including members of City Council and state Sen. Robert Hagan, D-33, together to unveil the renderings of the facility."As we stand on this 19th century steel-making property, a property that represents our proud past, we break ground today for a 21st century convocation center that represents our belief in a bright future," McKelvey said.Artis Gillam, 1st Ward Councilman, made the only formal acknowledgement of prime architect of the convocation center project and thanked former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. Traficant, now serving an eight-year term in federal prison, secured the $26.8 million representing the bulk of the money for the project."If it wasn't for Jim Traficant, this would not be here," Gillam said. He also thanked his colleagues on council for "having the foresight" to site the project on the vacant industrial property between the Market Street and South Avenue bridges. Gillam also said he was reminded by one of his colleagues this morning that "the monkeys, the dummies and the clowns can do something," apparently referring to unflattering characterizations of city officials when they took over control of the project. "We went through hell to do this. ... We hope the naysayers and all the negative people realize that this is good for Youngstown and the area, not just good for council."Before calling Hagan to the platform, McKelvey noted that the state senator and Rep. Sylvester Patton, who was unable to attend, were "working diligently" to make sure that Youngstown received its share of state arts and sports facilities money, noting that every other venue in the state has received state funds. "Ohio, do not now tell Youngstown, 'I'm sorry, you aren't going to get it,' " McKelvey declared in a raised voice. "That's unacceptable and I hope some members of our media would find that unacceptable -- that Youngstown would be excluded from their share of arts and sports facilities dollars when every other community in the state of Ohio received theirs." As he took the podium, Hagan joked, "That was a hell of a lobbying job you just did. I guess I have no choice." Hagan declared today a "new day for Youngstown," and talked about the convocation center as an element of the Youngstown 2010 plan. "This is an opportunity for all of us to look forward, to say this is the beginning so that our children and our grandchildren can see something."The chief executive officer of Global Entertainment, Rick Kozuback, said three elements needed to be in place for a project such as this to succeed: a city government that was passionate about the project; and the people of the community. "Without you, it doesn't work," he said. "You can't have a project as successful as this is going to be without those people in the community saying we live here, we have ownership in our community, we believe in our city government and we are going to make this work," Kozuback continued. "They stood behind this when there were moments, trust me, when it looked like it might just go away.'While activity will be visible on the site within days, he said within the next 30 days there should be "significant site preparation," with the first event to take place at the newly constructed center in about 16 months, October 2005. The facility will be designed to accommodate a wide range of functions, from family shows and concerts to monster truck shows and tractor pulls, athletic events, civic functions and graduations, Kozuback said."We will have every possible entertainment opportunity that you could imagine and nothing will stop us from bringing entertainment that this community wants other than the support from this community," he continued. "All of you that are here have an interest and we're going to take care of that interest as best we can to support this community."Mckelvey, as he wrapped up the formal presentation before the groundbreaking, recognized former Councilman Herman "Pete" Starks, who he said taught him about perseverance and having the courage of his convictions despite criticism. Though he said he welcomed constructive criticism, he described those who issued what he called "destructive criticism" as "haters. There is no purpose for destructive criticism in this world. It is the devil's work," he said, adding that the he and project proponents are committed to overcoming "every obstacle and hurdle that we face until we reach the ribbon cutting for this facility."Following the ceremony, urban planner Hunter Morrison expressed his optimism for the project, which he predicted would bring people into downtown Youngstown on a regular basis, and help to revitalize the community and build on other developments going on in the area. "I think the project will be viable, otherwise the folks that have been investing in it would not do so," he said, adding that they key will be bringing in quality events "and giving people a first-rate experience, when they're in the building, and also when they're in the city."Morrison said he isn't concerned that people are investing too much hope in the center as the salvation of the downtown or the Mahoning Valley. "I would say that if it wasn't for the fact that we're doing Youngstown 2010," he continued. "Cities make a mistake in believing there's anything like a silver bullet, but when you do an investment like this in the context of other investments that are going on in downtown and in the community ... When it's part of an overall plan, I think you can be relatively comfortable that you're not putting too much faith in an individual project. You're putting faith in a process of rebuilding, of which this is a key element but not the only element." Reid Dulberger, vice president of the Regional Chamber, said that while entertainment venues have a "definite" local impact, they have a limited impact on the regional economic development base. "We have to make sure that on opening day the neighborhood here looks good," he said. "We need to make sure that we've taken care of all the little things. We need to make sure there are opportunities for restaurants and for small retail to capitalize on this facility -- that there is something else for people to do either before or after the event at the convocation center so that we can maximize the impact in downtown."McKelvey said for the first event held at the convocation center he'd like to be able to bring his two granddaughters to a circus, sitting in one of the front rows. "That would make me the happiest and I know it would make them the happiest," he said. "That's the type of future that I'm looking forward to."Contact George Nelson at [email protected]"