‘Spotlight’ series to mark Mahoning County Land Bank’s 10-year anniversary
YOUNGSTOWN — A tour of the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley's new homeless shelter is featured in the first video the Mahoning County Land Bank launched Tuesday as part of a series to showcase collaborative achievements with partners since the agency was established 10 years ago.
The land bank's "Community Partner Spotlight" video series will share the stories of 10 partnerships from the past decade. Each video demonstrates the impact of relationships the land bank has developed with individuals, local governments, nonprofits and other public and private organizations to restore and repurpose vacant, abandoned properties.
"Throughout the past decade, the land bank has demonstrated what an enormous impact it can make on a community through demolitions, acquisitions and repurposing efforts and, most importantly, through community collaboration," Debora Flora, the land bank's executive director, said in a news release. "That's why we chose to celebrate our anniversary by highlighting many of the community-minded individuals who have helped us get to where we are today."
The land bank is marking its 10th anniversary this year. Mahoning County officials established the agency in 2011 to capitalize on a new state law that created land banks with special authority to acquire and repurpose tax-delinquent property.
In the first video in the series, John Muckridge, president and chief executive officer of the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, takes viewers on a tour of the new 47,500-square-foot shelter on the North Side of Youngstown. A large portion of the mission's site is comprised of 16 formerly vacant and tax-delinquent parcels the land bank assembled, acquired and transferred to the nonprofit. The video can be viewed here.
The following individuals and organizations also will be included in the video series over the next several months.
- Darren Crivelli, Austintown Township zoning inspector;
- Ian Beniston, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. executive director;
- Sophia Buggs, Lady Buggs Farm owner and operator;
- Brigid Kennedy, Ursuline Ministries president;
- Jay Kamruzzaman, investor and landlord;
- Tony Kelly, Campbell City Schools board member;
- Mohammad Abuniaj, student, husband and father;
- Lourdes Cruz, homeowner and mother;
- Solid Platforms, scaffolding supplier.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 4:45 AM with the headline "‘Spotlight’ series to mark Mahoning County Land Bank’s 10-year anniversary."