Gorman's Grab Bag

Are incubators all they're cracked up to be?

Incubators have been in the news a lot during the early part of the week, as Bob Taft visited Youngstown Monday to help christen the new expansion to the Youngstown Business Incubator that bears his name while it was learned the same day that the City of Warren is getting 500 large from the state to help start up one of their own.

That's great. I'm all for new businesses. But I have one question? How do these incubators affect both troubled cities overall?

Obviously, these businesses are a magnet for people drawn to high tech jobs, but are these people going to live in the cities they're located in? They'll pay the city income taxes in their respective cities, but will these employees who work there choose to live in Youngstown and Warren?

New income tax revenue is all well and good, but the heart of the cities are their neighborhoods. I have lived in Youngstown and am living in Warren but will be moving shortly and the parallels are too close for anyone who has lived in both not to notice.

As people move out of both respective cities, there is no one to take their place. The number of vacant homes is appalling in both places (I have seven on my street within a half a block from me), which leads to upkeep issues which then leads to appearance issues.

For the life of me, I can't see some hotshot fresh out of college making good money working in one of these places who wants to relocate to one of them and live in some of these neighborhoods. There is not one city worker in either place I have spoken to in either city who wants to stay in Youngstown or Warren, and they all tell me if the supreme court rules the latest residency law is ok, they will be bolting in a heartbeat. So if the people who get their paychecks from Youngstown and Warren want to leave as soon as possible, how are you going to attract new, young workers who make good money to live there?

It's time for planners and politicians to start thinking new. Five Hundred K for a new incubator is nice. But how about some grant money to cut grass at vacant lots, or demolish vacant homes? How about more cops to patrol these run down areas?

Having a nice, attractive downtown as well as attracting new businesses and workers is a laudable goal. But to have it surrounded by abandoned neighborhoods is like trying to beat the ocean back with a broom. Fix the neighborhoods first. Then concentrate on your downtown.