‘Plan in Place’ for International Towers Residents to Return

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said there’s “a plan in place” to get International Towers residents back home when he gets word that it’s safe.

“We’re kind of waiting at the edge of our seats,” Brown said. “When we confirm there’s a safe time that they can start moving back, there’s a process, a plan in place for everyone to come back.”

That will happen over a few days, he said, although he doesn’t have a start date. It’s day to day, Brown said of the Realty Tower demolition project that started July 12. Moderalli Excavating Inc. of Poland is the contractor.

“If he tells me tomorrow or Thursday, there’s a plan in place to get the residents to start moving back home,” the mayor added.

International Towers residents were evacuated from their homes in mid-June following the May 28 gas explosion at the Realty Tower, which is located next to it. A structural engineer hired by the city determined that Realty was in “imminent danger” of collapse without modification.

Meanwhile, five more lawsuits were filed Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court stemming from the explosion that killed one man – an employee of the Chase Bank branch on the first floor – and its aftermath.

Each claims negligence and seeks unspecified damages. They list Enbridge Inc. and affiliated companies Greenheart Companies, YO Properties 47 and LY Property Management as defendants. Attorney Brian Kopp filed each of the complaints.

A spokeswoman for YO Properties, which owned Realty Tower, and LY Property Management, which was the property manager, declined to comment.

The other defendants couldn’t be reached to comment.

One lawsuit was filed by 20 former residents of Realty Tower.

It said that despite YO Properties and LY Property Management regaining control of the building, the plaintiffs “remained restricted by entering the Realty Tower. As a result, most if not all of their personal property could not be recovered.”

It also said those companies “failed to secure the premises, thereby allowing theft and looting to occur.”

The other four lawsuits were filed by people injured in the explosion and their family members. Caroline Pizarro of Youngstown, who was injured in the explosion, and her daughter, Ariadne Jimenez Pizarro, filed a lawsuit, as did Austintown residents Christina D. Will, who was injured, and her husband, Richard Will. Lawsuits were also filed by Susie A. Page and Vito E. Colella, each of whom lived in Realty Tower.

Since their evacuation, International Towers residents, through the help of area social service agencies, led by the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, have been living in hotels, assisted living facilities and other locations.

“Many of our social service agencies are out there every day,” Brown said. “They’ve been working with them.”

He credited those agencies, as well as the places where residents have been living, for the work they’ve been doing and their cooperation.

The Stambaugh Building, across Federal Street from Realty, has been closed since the explosion. That building houses the DoubleTree by Hilton Youngstown Downtown hotel and Bistro 1907, among other businesses.

Those businesses may reopen and International Towers residents will be able to return home when the Realty has been demolished down to four floors, reducing the collapse zone.

No time has been announced for that achievement, although it appears to be getting close. 

“They’re cutting today,” Brown said. “The reason they’re cutting today is because they’re looking for a place for the fire escape – when they pull it, they want a place for it to land.” 

The fire escape is on the side of Realty facing International Towers.

Brown said he’s seen a lot of progress since last Thursday. 

“The issue is we’re all anxious to get the residents home, our downtown open, our hotel open,” he said. “Every day I’m anticipating this is the day. … But we’re seeing progress, so that’s encouraging for me.”

Pictured at top: Demolition continued Monday at the Realty Tower in downtown Youngstown. At left is the International Towers.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.