YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Western Reserve Transit Authority is taking a step toward an electric future.
Under a project that cleared a governmental hurdle Tuesday, the authority will tear down its bus barn annex and replace it with a new and much larger building that will be used to house and charge electric buses.
Work on the project could start as soon as November and be complete by May 2027, said Jeff Siwiec, director of maintenance and procurement. He could not give a cost estimate at this time, noting the project has yet to receive bids.
The WRTA bus barn complex is at 604 Mahoning Ave., near downtown.
The city’s design review committee on Tuesday approved the project, which also includes renovating the bus wash building at the site and installing a new metal panel facade on the bus barn.
The project is being done by Olsavsky Jaminet Architects of Youngstown. It will now go before City Council for final approval.
A future phase of the project calls for replacing the existing chain-link fence along Mahoning Avenue with a decorative aluminum fence.
But first, an abandoned concrete railway bridge arch over the avenue at the west edge of the WRTA property would have to be either removed or rehabilitated.
“We’re working with the city on the removal of the arch,” Siwiec said, explaining that the fence would extend to the end of the new annex.
The WRTA recognizes the massive arch has become a landmark and is perceived as a gateway to downtown.
“We’re not opposed to [keeping it],” Siwiec said. “But safety is a concern. It will need to be improved or else demolished.”
In the winter, large icicles form over the roadway, and the city has to send a crew to remove them. “We’ve also found chunks of concrete on the sidewalk [that fell because of] the freeze-thaw cycle,” Siwiec said. “The arch is not going to collapse, but it needs investment.”
Mural Proposal
The committee also considered a proposal for a mural on the side of a seven-story downtown building.
Unhappy with the plan for the mural along the west-facing wall of the Erie Terminal Building, it deferred action.
The committee instead instructed the muralist, Patrick McGlone, and the building’s owners, Live Youngstown, to alter the plan and resubmit it.
Dominic Marchionda is the owner of the building.
The proposed sign would extend from the top of the building to the bottom along the northern third of the wall, which has no windows. It bears a stylized logo of a locomotive, which is an homage to the building’s history as a train station, and also the name of the building and its address.
The words Live Youngstown and LiveYoungstown.com are at the bottom of the sign. Potential tenants can apply for an apartment at the website.
The committee told McGlone to change the color of the sign from white to something that is less bold and more like the reddish color of the brick building.
It requested McGlone provide several options that tone down the bright color scheme and look more artful and less like an advertisement. Toward that end, it ordered the removal of the words “Live Youngstown” and the website name.
The committee also wants the entire mural to be visible to motorists driving along West Commerce Street. A row of trees along the street would obstruct the bottom part of the mural as it is.
According to McGlone, the goal of the project is to refresh the building, which now faces competition from other downtown apartments, including the Gallagher Building across the street. It will also conceal rust stains on the bricks left by a fire escape that has been removed.
The owners “want to get their name out there and show their investment in the property, that they’re putting money in it and they care about it,” said McGlone, who has painted several high-profile murals downtown and around the Valley.
Concerned that the delay would prevent the project from being completed before winter, the committee said it would have a special meeting if the new plan is submitted before its next regular meeting in early September.
The project will take at least a week to finish, McGone said, assuring that it will be completed this season.
In other action, the committee:
- Approved an $11,635 façade grant to Teenie’s Tavern and Sport Shop, 3011 South Ave. The grant will be used to repair, patch, seal and restripe the parking lot and replace concrete in front of the building. The total cost of the project is $23,207.
- Approved façade renovation of a vacant building at 718 Belmont Ave. that will be reopened as Lucky’s Indian Grocery. The owner, Tarlochan Singh, has already completed most of the work, including repainting the building’s exterior, replacing the roof, doors and windows. He will also repave the parking lot and remove a pole that once had a sign mounted on it. A sign on the front of the building has already been approved.
Pictured at top: A rendering of the Western Reserve Transit Authority’s new bus barn.